Taipei, Aug. 25 (CNA) President Tsai Ing-wen (???) is set to travel to African ally Eswatini on Sept. 5 for a four-day visit on a chartered flight without making any stopovers.
The goal of the visit from Sept. 5-8 is to promote “sustainable cooperation” between the Republic of China, Taiwan’s official name, and Eswatini, Presidential Office spokeswoman Olivia Lin (???) said during a press conference in Taipei on Friday.
The visit will demonstrate the importance Taiwan attaches to its ties with Eswatini, which was formerly called Swaziland, and allow both sides to further collaborate, she said.
According to Deputy Foreign Minister Lee Chun (??), Tsai was invited to Eswatini to attend the celebrations marking the 55th anniversary of the African nation’s independence and the 55th birthday of its current ruler King Mswati III on Sept. 6.
The king has reigned over Eswatini, one of a handful of absolute monarchies in the world, since 1986.
Tsai and her delegation, which also includes Economics Minister Wang Mei-hua (???) and Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai (???), will travel there and back on direct flights operated by Taiwan-based China Airlines, according to Lee.
Tsai will embark on the four-day trip on the morning of Sept. 5 and arrive in the afternoon that same day (Mbabane time) in Eswatini, where she will throw herself into a whirlwind of engagements, including holding bilateral talks with the king and meeting with Taiwanese expatriates, Lee said.
According to Lee, Tsai, after attending the Sept. 6 celebrations, will visit the Referral and Emergency Complex of the Mbabane Government Hospital, a facility that Taiwan’s government has funded, and take part in a dinner hosted by the king.
On her last day in Eswatini on Sept. 7, Tsai will meet with Queen Mother Ntombi Tfwala, hold a press conference, and visit the bases of Taiwan’s technical and medical missions, Lee said.
Tsai will depart from Africa in the afternoon of Sept. 7 and arrive in Taiwan on Sept. 8 (Taipei time), he added.
The trip will mark Tsai’s second visit to the African nation since she took power in 2016, following a five-day trip to Eswatini in 2018. The president last traveled overseas in March, when she visited Taiwan’s allies Guatemala and Belize, and also transited the United States.