Eswatini–Taiwan relations refer to the international relations between the

Kingdom of Eswatini Eswatini ( ; ss, eSwatini ), officially the Kingdom of Eswatini and formerly named Swaziland ( ; officially renamed in 2018), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. It is bordered by Mozambique to its northeast and South Africa to its no ...

and Republic of China (Taiwan). Eswatini maintains an embassy in

Taipei Taipei (), officially Taipei City, is the capital and a special municipality of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Located in Northern Taiwan, Taipei City is an enclave of the municipality of New Taipei City that sits about southwest of the n ...

, and Taiwan maintains an embassy in

Mbabane Mbabane (; ss, ÉMbábáne, ) is a city in Eswatini (previously called Swaziland), and is one of the two capitals (along with Lobamba), serving as the executive capital. With an estimated population of 94,874 (2010), it is located on the Mbaba ...

History

Eswatini recognized the Republic of China (ROC) over the

People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

(PRC) on 16 September 1968, and have since maintained formal diplomatic relations with the ROC. Eswatini is one of 13 nations that recognize the ROC officially. In May 2018,

Burkina Faso Burkina Faso (, ; , ff, 𞤄𞤵𞤪𞤳𞤭𞤲𞤢 𞤊𞤢𞤧𞤮, italic=no) is a landlocked country in West Africa with an area of , bordered by Mali to the northwest, Niger to the northeast, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the ...

switched to recognize the People's Republic of China, thus ending diplomatic ties with Taiwan, making Eswatini the last African country to recognize the ROC instead of the PRC. On the 2018 summit of Forum on China–Africa Cooperation in Beijing, China declared it does “hope that by the time the China-Africa cooperation forum Beijing summit happens, we can have a happy picture of the whole family”, i.e. it hopes to establish diplomatic relations with Swaziland before the summit begins. The

government of Eswatini Government of the Kingdom of Eswatini is the union government created by the constitution of Eswatini where the monarch holds supreme executive, legislative, and judicial powers. The Ngwenyama (lion) is a hereditary leader, rules the country, wi ...

has rejected these overtures from the

. In response, China has turned up the visa restrictions on Swazis to force Eswatini to establish diplomatic links with itself. Declaring "No diplomatic relations, no business benefits." In response to the Chinese pressure on Eswatini, Ou Jiang'an, the director of the Foreign Ministry Information Department of Taiwan said "The ugly nature of the Chinese regime and its despicable means of suppression are contemptible, and it should be deterred by international public opinion." ''

The Economist ''The Economist'' is a British weekly newspaper printed in demitab format and published digitally. It focuses on current affairs, international business, politics, technology, and culture. Based in London, the newspaper is owned by The Econo ...

'' claimed in 2021 that Eswatini's relations with Taiwan are second in importance only to those with South Africa.

Bilateral visits

In June 2018, King of Eswatini, Mswati III made his 17th visit to Taiwan, after the President of ROC Tsai Ing-wen visited Eswatini in April.

Taiwanese aid

Taiwan has provided economic

aid In international relations, aid (also known as international aid, overseas aid, foreign aid, economic aid or foreign assistance) is – from the perspective of governments – a voluntary transfer of resources from one country to another. Ai ...

to Eswatini, funding a rural electrification scheme and university scholarships. In September 2021, Taiwan announced it would be providing US$22.9 million in aid to repair schools, hospitals and other infrastructure that were damaged during the civil unrest.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Eswatini-Taiwan relations

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

Bilateral relations of Taiwan

History

Bilateral visits

Taiwanese aid

See also

References