Taiwan’s president Tsai Ing-wen has concluded a visit to Eswatini – its only remaining diplomatic foothold in Africa. Taiwan has been isolated by mainland China, which maintains that Taiwan is an island belonging to the mainland.
The southern African kingdom has therefore become a critical piece in Taipei's diplomatic puzzle. It is only one of 13 countries worldwide that officially recognises Taiwan over China’s territorial claims.
She arrived on Tuesday for a four-day visit, meeting with King Mswati III, Africa's last absolute monarch, local politicians and members of the Asian community.
Taiwan and Eswatini signed a series of memorandums of understanding to help the kingdom, including a women's entrepreneurship fund and a cooperation agreement on the construction of a strategic oil reserve facility.
"I look forward to a successful execution of this project so that we will be able to establish a strategic oil reserve facility here to make the supply of energy more secure in the future," Tsai said in a video released by her office on Wednesday during her visit.
