President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) will lead a delegation to Eswatini from September 5 to 8, the Presidential Office announced in a press conference on Friday. The President hopes to celebrate the friendship between the two countries and promote sustainable cooperation.
Presidential Office spokesperson Olivia Lin (林聿禪) said this year coincides with the 55th anniversary of the country's independence, the establishment of diplomatic relations with Taiwan, and the 55th birthday of Eswatini’s King Mswati III.
The foreign ministry denies that the trip's timing is related to the presence of China’s leader Xi Jinping (習近平) at the BRICS summit in South Africa this week. Deputy Foreign Minister Roy Chun Lee (李淳) says the trip has been organized so that President Tsai can attend Eswatini’s National Day celebrations on September 6. He says there is no question of rivalry, it is simply a coincidence.
Lee said apart from attending the national day celebrations, President Tsai will attend a royal banquet, and meet with representatives of overseas Taiwanese living in the country. She will also visit a hospital, and meet with people working on cooperation projects in public healthcare and women's empowerment.
The members of the delegation will include Economic Affairs Minister Wang Mei-hua (王美花), Overseas Community Affairs Council Chairman Hsu Chia-ching (徐佳青), and Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁).