On October 11, President Chen Shui-bian received Gelane T. Zwane, President of the Senate of the Kingdom of Swaziland, to express appreciation for her attending the ROC National Day celebrations.
President Chen said that Gelane T. Zwane is the first female president of Swaziland's Senate, which reflects the respect and support she has in Swaziland. President Chen added that since the founding of Swaziland in 1968, it has maintained close diplomatic relations with Taiwan, citing that King Mswati III has visited Taiwan for 9 times with the latest one being in June 2006.
President Chen recalled that during his visit to Africa in 2002, he was impressed with the splendid super highways in Swaziland and because of the advancement, more than 20 Taiwanese businesses have set up factories in Swaziland with a total investment of over US$65 million. At least 13,000 jobs have been created by the Taiwanese businesses.
Also present at the meeting were Senator Winnie Nxumalo, Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee of Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of the Senate, and Senator Siphila Magagula, Taiwan's Deputy Foreign Minister Yang Tzu-pao, and Deputy Secretary-General to the President Liu Shyh-fang.