The Republic of China’s last remaining diplomatic ally in Africa, Eswatini, is facing increasing commercial and economic pressure from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), raising concerns about a gradual shift towards Beijing. U.S. Ambassador nominee to Eswatini, John Mcintyre, stated during his confirmation hearing on the 19th that maintaining ties with Taiwan and other nations would be one of his top priorities.
According to reports from the Central News Agency, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee held a confirmation hearing for 10 ambassador nominees on the 19th. Republican Senator Pete Ricketts expressed to John Mcintyre that the CCP’s ultimate goal is to unify Taiwan without resorting to military force, hence one of their objectives is to isolate Taiwan diplomatically.
Ricketts pointed out that since 1949, there has been an ongoing diplomatic recognition battle between the CCP and Taiwan. The CCP has spent billions of dollars in support of its “One China” policy.
Currently, Taiwan only has 12 diplomatic allies remaining. At the recent Forum on China-Africa Cooperation summit in Beijing, Eswatini was the only country out of the 54 African nations to decline participation. However, reports suggest that the CCP is strengthening its commercial and economic interests in Eswatini, indicating a gradual shift of the country’s last African ally towards Beijing.
“How will you ensure that Eswatini maintains a balance under these pressures and sustains its longstanding partnership with Taiwan in the face of China’s significant economic and political influence over many African nations if appointed?” Ricketts asked.
In response, Mcintyre, a seasoned diplomat, emphasized the importance of maintaining an open and honest dialogue with the host country’s government and citizens regarding the pressure exerted by the CCP. He stressed the need for transparency in strengthening relations with the CCP and the potential consequences of such actions.
Taiwan established its embassy in Mbabane, the capital of Eswatini, in 1968, the same year the country gained independence from British rule. Despite other nations tilting towards China, Eswatini has maintained diplomatic relations with Taiwan.
A report by Semafor Africa on the 10th highlighted a thawing of relations between Eswatini and Beijing at the end of 2023. The Chairman of Eswatini’s Mining Management Commission, Prince Guduza Dlamini, led a delegation of prominent business figures to China reportedly to attract Chinese investment and lay the groundwork for establishing diplomatic ties.
Eswatini government spokesperson Alpheous Nxumalo refuted claims that the delegation’s mission was related to kickstarting diplomatic relations.
John Mcintyre, a distinguished American diplomat with a Master’s degree in Public Administration from the University of Kansas, has been commended by the U.S. State Department for his service in various countries like Indonesia, Jamaica, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, and Kosovo.
Ahead of the UN General Assembly debate, nine diplomatic allies of the Republic of China – Eswatini, Belize, Guatemala, the Marshall Islands, Palau, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Tuvalu – jointly wrote to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on the 19th, expressing their steadfast support for Taiwan’s participation in the UN.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China stated in a press release on the 20th that Paraguay had also individually expressed support for Taiwan’s inclusion. The joint letter was hand-delivered to the UN Secretariat by the permanent representatives of Saint Vincent, Belize, Palau, Guatemala, Tuvalu, and the Marshall Islands on the 19th, followed by a media interview outside the UN headquarters, urging the UN to stop excluding Taiwan.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stressed three points in the joint letter from the diplomatic allies: firstly, highlighting the malicious distortion of UN Resolution 2758, which poses a severe threat to the status quo in the Taiwan Strait and peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region, calling for proactive action.
Secondly, emphasizing that Resolution 2758 does not preclude meaningful participation by Taiwan in the UN system. They urged the UN to seek appropriate ways to incorporate Taiwan’s participation to contribute to achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Lastly, they called on the UN to uphold neutrality and cease erroneous references to Resolution 2758, as well as improper deprivation of the rights of ROC nationals and media to participate, attend, or cover UN meetings and activities.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reiterated that Resolution 2758 does not mention Taiwan and is unrelated to Taiwan, does not reflect nor equate to the CCP’s “One China Principle”, and does not exclude Taiwan from participating in the UN system and other international organizations.
In the face of ongoing malicious distortions by the CCP and their attempts to mislead the international community, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly condemned such actions and called for global solidarity against the CCP’s fallacies. They urged the UN Secretariat to adhere to the principles of universality and “leaving no one behind” as outlined in the UN Charter by promptly admitting Taiwan’s participation.
The Ministry of Economic Affairs of the Republic of China’s Tucheng Industrial Park issued a press release stating that a trade delegation led by Beverly Mavuso, Director of Financial Supervision at the Central Bank of Eswatini, visited the industrial park in Taiwan with a group of 8 members including officials from developing economic zones, engineers, and Taiwanese residents.
The industrial park noted that the Eswatini trade delegation visited the service center of the Tucheng Industrial Park, where they received a warm welcome from the director of the service center, Hsu Ya-mei, who provided detailed explanations on key aspects of park management such as business services, public facility management, office updates, and workplace safety measures. The group also toured the park’s wastewater treatment plant to understand the operational process of the related equipment.
Beverly Mavuso expressed that Eswatini is at a crucial stage of economic development with several important economic zones in the pipeline, focusing on issues such as attracting investment, public facilities, and environmental regulations. She acknowledged that this visit to the Tucheng Park had provided valuable insights into the park’s 50 years of development, greatly benefiting Eswatini, for which she expressed sincere gratitude.
Hsu Ya-mei highlighted that the Tucheng Industrial Park currently hosts 364 companies, including 21 listed companies, with an annual output value exceeding NT$108 billion (approximately $3.79 billion USD), serving as a representative mature and well-operated industrial park in Taiwan. She emphasized the ever-evolving development tasks and challenges faced by the park in different periods, underscoring the vital role of the public sector in integrating and sharing information and resources with park businesses to foster continuous growth together.