Your Majesty King Mswati III; Your Royal Highness Inkhosikati LaDube; the Distinguished Delegation from the Kingdom of Swaziland; Ambassadors and Foreign Representatives; Esteemed Colleagues; Distinguished Guests; Ladies and Gentlemen:
Good Morning. Gu-Si-Le-Nene-Beku-Nene!
(Inkhosikati is the siSwati for "Princess" and Gu-Si-Le-Nene-Beku-Nene means "Good Morning.")
I am very honored and pleased to welcome Your Majesty King Mswati III and Your Royal Highness Inkhosikati LaDube, who, with your entourage, are visiting Taiwan at my invitation after a long journey. On behalf of the government and 23 million people of the Republic of China (Taiwan), I would like to extend my sincerest welcome to Your Majesty's distinguished delegation.
Swaziland has long enjoyed a reputation as the "Switzerland of Africa"; similarly, Taiwan has been known as "Ilha Formosa," which means "Beautiful Island." Both countries are endowed with beautiful scenery and are home to hospitable people, whose shared commitment to and pursuit of the universal values of freedom, democracy, peace, and human rights have been the foundation upon which our two nations have been working to strengthen our lasting partnership.
This year marks the 20th anniversary since Your Majesty was crowned king. I am delighted to see that Your Majesty looks to be in as excellent spirits as ever. Under Your Majesty's outstanding leadership, politics, the economy, and many other facets of Swazi life have seen amazing progress. Especially noteworthy is Your Majesty's enactment of a new constitution this year. This move has contributed to the advancement of democracy and the protection of human rights in the kingdom. Also admirable is that Your Majesty raised 1.2 billion lilangeni's worth of capital last year to help businesses and increase job opportunities for the people.
Your Majesty King Mswati III is a talented leader with vision, and you have been very friendly to and supportive of Taiwan. During Your Majesty's 20-year reign, great progress has been made in Swaziland, and the friendly and cooperative relationship between our two countries has also been strengthened.
On this visit, Your Majesty has brought a distinguished delegation of high-ranking government officials and business leaders and will be seeking to have Taiwan's companies invest in Swaziland. I fully support Your Majesty in this and look forward to discussing the present international situation and issues of concern to both our countries with you. I am confident that this visit will enhance and open a new chapter in the friendly, mutually beneficial, and cooperative relations between our two nations.
In closing, on behalf of Taiwan's government and people, I would like to wish Your Majesty, Your Royal Highness and your delegation a successful and pleasant time here in Taiwan. To Your Majesty, I wish success and happiness, and to your great country, lasting prosperity. Thank you.