SWAZILAND STANDS WITH TAIWAN

MBABANE – Swaziland will not be severing diplomatic ties with the Republic of China on Taiwan.

Percy Simelane, Government Press Secretary, says the Swazi government will remain friends with the island nation.
This follows the termination of diplomatic relations between Taiwan and African country, São Tomé and Príncipe in December 2016.
Last week, Nigeria also decided to cut ties with Taiwan, which now has diplomatic ties with only two countries in Africa: Swaziland and Burkina Faso.

All in all, 21 countries and governments still maintain official ties with Taiwan.
Several countries, especially in Africa, terminated ties with Taiwan, in favour of having a relationship with mainland China.
Mainland China regards Taiwan as a renegade province ineligible for state-to-state relations.
In an interview, Simelane said Swaziland valued its friendship with Taiwan.

“Our relationship is based on mutual friendship, which is founded on national interest that has existed since independence,” he said.
Even though he did not specify details of the national interest, he said relations between the two countries were stronger.
He said Swaziland had a long history with Taiwan.

“They were the first nation the kingdom established diplomatic relations with after independence in 1968. They actually had an embassy in the country together with Israel, the United Kingdom and United States of America,” he said.
Last week the Federal Government of Nigeria severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan and ordered the latter country to move its trade mission from the capital, Abuja to Lagos.

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