Lai visits Taiwan-funded projects in Eswatini, urges more private investment

Taipei, May 4 (CNA) President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) on Sunday visited several projects in Eswatini that are funded by Taiwan, and he called for increased private Taiwanese investment in the country's sole African ally.

Accompanied by senior Eswatini officials, Lai and his delegation began the second day of their visit to the African country with a trip to the site of a planned Taiwan Industrial Innovation Park (TIIP) project.

According to Taiwan's foreign ministry, the purpose of the TIIP is to help Taiwanese businesses expand globally, connect with African markets, and create local jobs.

Lai was also briefed Sunday on a Strategic Oil Reserve project, which Taiwan's foreign ministry said is intended to ensure a 60-day fuel reserve for Eswatini.

During Lai's visit to the two Taiwan-funded projects, he said Taiwan remains a reliable and resilient partner for Eswatini in a rapidly changing global landscape, according to a Presidential Office press release on Monday.

The president noted that Eswatini is a steadfast diplomatic ally of Taiwan and a major gateway for Taiwanese businesses seeking to expand into the African continent, the press release said.

He expressed the hope that more private Taiwanese companies would invest in Eswatini and cultivate talent there, as Taiwan seeks to deepen bilateral economic and trade cooperation, according to the Presidential Office.

Taiwan also hopes to work with Eswatini to explore the broader African market and create greater economic value together, he was quoted as saying in the press release.

Later Sunday, Lai visited the newly opened International Convention Center (ICC), also funded by Taiwan, which is designed to host global conferences, trade shows, exhibitions, and meetings.

The president also called on Queen Mother Ntombi Tfwala, thanking her and King Mswati III for inviting him to Eswatini, which he described as his "second home," according to the Presidential Office.

Lai arrived in Eswatini on Saturday, after an earlier planned trip to Taiwan's sole African ally was canceled due to revoked overflight permits.

The Presidential Office announced on April 21 that Lai's planned visit to Eswatini, to mark the 40th anniversary of King Mswati III's accession and his 58th birthday, had been suspended after Seychelles, Mauritius, and Madagascar revoked overflight permits for the president's chartered plane.

Lai's office attributed the decision to China's "economic coercion" of the three African states.

Neither Taiwan nor Eswatini have disclosed how Lai ultimately made the trip to the kingdom on the weekend, but according to local media reports, he flew directly from Taipei to Eswatini aboard King Mswati III's private jet, an Airbus A340-313.

The aircraft had landed in Taiwan earlier in the week, carrying the king's special envoy and Deputy Prime Minister Thulisile Dladla, who met with Lai at the Presidential Office in Taipei on Thursday.

Washington's response

Meanwhile, when asked Sunday whether the United States had helped make Lai's trip possible, the U.S. State Department did not give a direct answer.

Instead, a State Department spokesperson told CNA that Lai's ongoing trip is "routine and should not be politicized."

"Every democratically elected Taiwan president has made overseas trips to visit Taiwan's diplomatic partners," the unnamed spokesperson said, noting that Lai's predecessor, Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), visited Eswatini in 2023 and 2018.

"Taiwan is a trusted and capable partner of the United States and many others, and its relationships around the world provide significant benefits to the citizens of those countries, including Eswatini," the spokesperson said.