Africa-Press – Eswatini. Taiwan President, Tsai Ing-wen, has expressed appreciation to His Majesty King Mswati III for voicing support for Taiwan’s inclusion in the United Nations in his address during the 78th General Assembly Debate.
His Majesty emphasised the importance of including Taiwan and its people in the sustainable development agenda 2030, stating that failure to do so hindered the achievement of the agenda, which aims to ensure that no one is left behind.
“We are advocating for Taiwan’s inclusion in the UN system, which would involve its participation in meetings, mechanisms and activities related to the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals,” said the King.
His Majesty stated that doing so would enhance global cooperation and partnership and underscore the principle of ensuring that no individual would be overlooked or excluded.
Taking onto her X account (formerly twitter), President Ing-wen said Taiwan was thankful to the King and other allies for highlighting the importance of the East Asian nation’s inclusion in the UN system for sustainability and global stability.
The Taiwan Foreign Affairs ministry also released a statement thanking Taiwan’s allies and like-minded partners for supporting the country’s bid to participate in UN activities and mechanisms.
The ministry expressed gratitude to His Majesty the King, Belize Prime Minister John Briceno, Czech Republic President Petr Pavel, Guatemala President Alejandro Giammattei, Nauru President Russ Kun, Paraguay President Santiago Pena, Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr and Marshall Islands President David Kabua.
Taiwan is not a member of the UN or its sub-organisations since the October 25, 1971 UN Resolution which recognised mainland China as the sole legitimate government of China.
From that point, Taiwan has sought to maintain its international space without the benefits of UN membership. Eswatini has maintained a strong alliance with Taipei for 55 years, and is now the only African country that enjoys diplomatic relations with Taiwan.
His Majesty King Mswati III has visited Taiwan 18 times and President Ing-wen was recently in the country as a guest of honour for the 55/55 double celebrations.
According to official figures from the Taiwan Customs Administration, trade between the two countries set a record last year, as imports and exports of goods was E289 million, a milestone the local Taiwan embassy economic counsellor Simon Cheng attributes to the Economic Cooperation Agreement (ECA) the countries entered into in December 2018.
For More News And Analysis About Eswatini Follow Africa-Press
