President Chen Shui-bian on October 8 met with Swaziland House of Assembly Speaker Prince Guduza Dlamini and his wife, who have led a delegation to Taiwan.
President Chen praised Speaker Prince Guduza for his substantial experience in the areas of politics and economics. He served in many important Cabinet posts in the past prior to becoming a member of parliament. He is presently speaker of parliament, making him one of Swaziland's most important political leaders. President Chen said he cherishes the long alliance between Taiwan and Swaziland, adding that current Swaziland King Mswati III has abided by the words of the former king: "The King's friends are the friends of Swaziland." King Mswati III has continued the diplomatic alliance with Taiwan, enabling the relations between the two countries to become even stronger. President Chen said he is confident that the two nations will continue to have a mutually beneficial relationship in the future based on the existing strong foundation.
President Chen said that the two countries signed a medical cooperation agreement during a visit to Taiwan by King Mswati III last month. This accord will pave the way for Taiwan to set up a permanent medical mission in Swaziland at the beginning of next year. He said he hopes this will help make a contribution to the health of the people of Swaziland. The president also said that a new 10-year agreement on cooperation between the two countries will soon take effect. This is expected to lead to further cooperation and exchanges between the two sides, he said.
The president also said he has heard that Prince Guduza is quite interested in the high technology and communications industries. He pointed out that Taiwan is quite advanced in these two industries and that he hopes Prince Guduza will have the opportunity to learn about these industries during his trip here. Taiwan's experience is sure to benefit Swaziland, the president said.