More than 80 African parliamentarians approve of Taiwan’s contributions to the region
More than 80 parliamentarians from 11 African countries, including South Africa, Malawi, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Lesotho, Nigeria, Uganda, Tanzania, Namibia, and Somaliland, have issued a joint statement welcoming President Tsai Ing-wen’s upcoming trip to Eswatini.
The lawmakers, all members of the Formosa Club in Africa, acknowledged the tangible results of Tsai’s “Africa Project,” launched in 2018, which aims to further Taiwan’s relationship with the African continent, per the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Taiwan’s cooperation with African countries has strengthened in various areas such as agriculture, education, information and communications technology, energy, trade, and tourism, highlighting Taiwan’s value and importance for the continent’s future development, the lawmakers said.
They also emphasized that Taiwan is a beacon of democracy and said they look forward to further cooperation and exchanges with Taiwan.
Tsai’s visit from Sept. 5-8 aims to highlight bilateral ties and promote sustainable cooperation between the two countries, under the theme of “Celebrating Enduring Friendship, Advancing Sustainable Cooperation.”
Her trip coincides with the African country’s 55th anniversary of independence as well as the establishment of diplomatic relations with Taiwan. Aside from attending the celebrations, Tsai, who last visited in 2018, will also be a guest at a royal dinner and meet with Taiwanese groups working in the country in the fields of healthcare, agriculture, and women’s rights.
Her delegation includes Minister of Economic Affairs Wang Mei-hua, Kaohsiung City Mayor Chen Chi-mai, and lawmakers from the ruling and opposition parties. Chen is seeking to establish sister-city relations with Mbabane, the capital city of Eswatini.
Taiwan intelligence agency chief Tsai Ming-yen visited Eswatini ahead of Tsai’s trip.
