Vice President Vincent C. Siew and his wife Susan Chu arrived at the Kingdom of Swaziland's Matsapha International Airport at 9:50 a.m. on September 6 (3:50 p.m. September 5 Taipei time), formally beginning their visit to the kingdom.
Serving as President Ma Ying-jeou's special envoy, Vice President Siew leads a delegation on this visit to Swaziland to take part in celebrations marking the 40th anniversary of the kingdom's independence as well as the 40th birthday of His Majesty King Mswati III. The vice president will offer his congratulations to Swaziland on behalf of the government and people of the ROC.
Upon the arrival of the delegation at the airport, ROC Ambassador to Swaziland Leonard Chao and Swaziland's Chief of Protocol Sense Dlamini boarded the aircraft to personally welcome Vice President Siew and Mrs. Siew. Along with ROC Minister of Foreign Affairs Francisco H. L. Ou and Mrs. Ou, who are traveling with the vice president, the vice president and his wife were escorted off the plane. Swaziland Prime Minister Absalom Themba Dlamini was waiting next to the stairs to welcome the vice president and his wife, and he then escorted them to a meeting room at the airport where a short discussion was held.
Despite the roughly 16-hour journey from Taiwan, Vice President Siew and Mrs. Siew appeared full of energy. On their trip to Swaziland, the vice president and his entourage made brief transit stops in Singapore and South Africa. After arrival in the Swaziland capital of Mbabane, the vice president and his wife made their way to the hotel where they are staying during their visit – the Royal Swaziland Sun Hotel. Overseas compatriots filled either side of the hotel's driveway, applauding and welcoming the arrival of Vice President Siew and Mrs. Siew. Vice President Siew made his way through the crowd, shaking hands and exchanging greetings with those having gathered to welcome him. He also expressed his appreciation to them for their warm welcome.
After a brief rest, Vice President Siew and Mrs. Siew traveled to Ludzidzini Royal Village where they had an audience with Her Majesty Indlovukazi Ntombi. His Majesty King Mswati III soon after made a special visit to the Queen Mother's palace to personally welcome Vice President and Mrs. Siew and the delegation from the ROC. Vice President Siew, on behalf of President Ma and the government and people of the ROC, offered his warmest congratulations to King Mswati III and Queen Mother Ntombi, and he thanked Swaziland for its long support for and friendship with Taiwan. He said he looks forward to further strengthening bilateral cooperation in the areas of diplomacy, agricultural technology, health and medicine, and communications. The vice president also said he encourages Taiwan companies to invest in Swaziland.
King Mswati III offered an enthusiastic welcome to the delegation led by Vice President Siew that is participating in celebrations marking his nation's 40th anniversary of independence. He said that the visit by the delegation makes the "twin celebrations" underway into a "triple celebration." In addition to celebrating the 40th anniversary of independence and his 40th birthday, this year marks the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries. He also expressed his desire for strengthened interaction between the two countries in the future. King Mswati III stressed that Swaziland will continue to support participation for the ROC in the United Nations and other international organizations. He said efforts by the two countries to work together will foster greater wellbeing for the people of the two nations.
At the noon hour, Vice President Siew and Mrs. Siew returned to their hotel where they received a briefing from ROC embassy personnel. Representatives from the ROC's technical mission and medical mission stationed in Swaziland also introduced work being carried out there. The visiting delegation and the ROC personnel stationed in Swaziland then had lunch together. Vice President Siew said he is impressed by the work and contributions made by the technical mission and medical mission to the government and people of Swaziland. He encouraged everyone to continue with their hard work. The vice president also expressed his desire to see interaction between the two countries going beyond the areas of medicine and agriculture. He said he is pleased to see that cooperation has been expanded to the area of telecommunications technology. A number of representatives from commercial and industrial federations, who are visiting Swaziland to examine the investment climate and opportunities there, attended the luncheon. The vice president thanked them on behalf of the ROC government for helping to bolster friendship between the two countries.
After a busy morning, the vice president then took a brief rest before he and his entourage set out at about 2:40 p.m. to examine the ROC Technical Mission stationed in Swaziland.
In the evening, Vice President Siew and Mrs. Siew were accompanied by Minister of Foreign Affairs Ou and Mrs. Ou to a state dinner held at the Lozitha Palace. Before dinner, Vice President Siew and other heads of state and special envoys jointly called on King Mswati III. During the banquet, the guests were then treated to a rousing traditional dance to welcome them. Vice President Siew and Mrs. Siew met with many other guests attending the gala, with the evening marking the perfect end to their first day in Swaziland.