Taipei, Sept. 8 (CNA) President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) touched down in Taiwan on Friday afternoon after completing a four-day trip in the country’s only African ally Eswatini, which she said had brought about fruitful results.
Taiwan and Eswatini have built close ties for 55 years through collaborative projects in the fields of medicine, agriculture, education and talent incubation, she told reporters shortly after her arrival at Taipei Taoyuan International Airport.
Tsai said her trip to Eswatini from Sept. 5-8 showed Taiwan’s resolve to “make friends” with countries around the world despite facing “difficult” situations in international affairs.
She was likely alluding to the fact that China has ramped up efforts in recent years to isolate Taiwan from the international community by poaching its allies and opposing its inclusion in United Nations mechanisms, amid strained cross-strait relations.
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Taiwan is capable of and willing to make contributions that can benefit the world, she said, adding that the country would continue seeking to play an active role in matters of global attention, without elaborating.
The four-day trip to the African nation, without any stopovers in a third country, was Tsai’s ninth overseas visit since taking power in 2016.
She was invited to take part in the celebrations marking the 55th anniversary of the independence of Eswatini from the U.K. and the 55th birthday of the country’s absolute monarch King Mswati III.
The president also visited sites where Taiwan’s aid programs in the country take place, such as the Mbabane Government Hospital, as well as meeting with Taiwanese expatriates.
Speaking with reporters in Mbabane on Thursday (Mbabane time), Tsai emphasized her administration’s efforts to expand outreach in the continent through an initiative dubbed the African Project.
Tsai said she had learned from previous conversations with Mswati III that there is a growing interest in Taiwan among African people.
She maintained that Taiwan must continue to engage with Africa and look for cooperation opportunities, despite a lack of formal diplomatic relations with the vast majority of the continent.
According to the president, while China’s influence across the continent remains strong, many African nations would not object to the idea of developing some form of relationship with Taiwan, if it was beneficial to their economies or foreign relations.
She added that her administration would seek advice from Taiwanese expatriates in the region as it tries to improve and expand the program, and that she hoped whoever succeeds her as president next year would also be committed to it.
Launched in 2019 and led by the National Security Council, the African Project aims to promote exchanges between Taiwan and Africa in the areas of economics, public health, agriculture, education, technology and humanitarian assistance, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The program resulted in the opening of a new representative office in the Eastern African territory of Somaliland in 2020 and the resumption of operations in MOFA’s Ivory Coast overseas mission in 2022, the ministry said earlier this week.
The ministry added that Taiwan’s trade with Africa totaled US$7.81 billion in 2022, a nearly 70 percent increase from US$4.65 billion in 2018.
Sept. 7: President Tsai attends Eswatini Independence Day celebrations
Sept. 6: Taiwan to build new oil tank in Eswatini
Sept. 5: President Tsai departs for Eswatini on direct flight
