Lai seeks deeper Eswatini ties, thanks deputy PM for May trip help

Taipei, Sept. 22 (CNA) President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) called for deeper cooperation between Taiwan and Eswatini on Tuesday and thanked the African country's deputy prime minister for helping ensure his visit there in May went smoothly.

Meeting with Eswatini Deputy Prime Minister Thulisile Dladla at the Presidential Office in Taipei, Lai said he hoped the two countries would deepen cooperation in disaster management, industry, public health and talent development.

Eswatini is one of the Republic of China's (Taiwan's official name) 12 diplomatic allies and its only ally in Africa. The two countries have maintained diplomatic ties for 58 years.

Dladla is visiting Taiwan after attending Saturday's inauguration of the World Alliance for Disaster Management (WADM), an initiative launched by Taiwan, of which Eswatini is a founding member.

"Under the framework of the WADM, Taiwan will share disaster prevention technologies, disaster response and rescue experience with Eswatini and other like-minded countries," Lai said.

Lai also used the meeting to recall his May visit to Eswatini, which had originally been scheduled for April.

The trip was postponed after Seychelles, Mauritius and Madagascar withdrew permission for Lai's chartered aircraft to fly through their airspace.

Taiwan's Presidential Office attributed the withdrawal of the flight permits to pressure from China.

Lai thanked King Mswati III, the Queen Mother and Dladla for helping make the rescheduled trip possible.

"Deputy Prime Minister Dladla personally accompanied our delegation, traveling tens of thousands of kilometers with us to ensure that our journey there and back proceeded smoothly," Lai said.

Dladla accompanied Lai's delegation on the May 2-5 trip, during which it traveled about 25,000 kilometers aboard King Mswati III's aircraft before returning safely to Taiwan.

Dladla called on Taiwan and Eswatini to expand the "scale, speed and breadth" of their cooperation.

She said the two sides should focus more on investment, industrial development and energy security, as well as mutually beneficial economic opportunities such as mining.

Dladla also thanked Taiwan for increasing rice assistance to Eswatini as the country prepares for possible severe El Niño conditions.

El Niño can cause drought in southern Africa, threatening crop production. Dladla also expressed appreciation for Taiwan's support for additional social housing for vulnerable communities.

On the WADM, Dladla said Eswatini intended to help make the alliance "a practical platform for capacity building, knowledge sharing and coordinated action."