President Tsai hosts banquet for Taiwanese expatriates in southern Africa
On the evening of April 18 (early morning Taipei time), President Tsai Ing-wen hosted a banquet for Taiwanese expatriates living and working in southern Africa.
In remarks, the president noted that there were overseas compatriots from Swaziland, where the banquet was being held, as well as fellow countrymen who had come from South Africa, Lesotho, and Mozambique. She thanked everyone for making the long trip, and said she was happy to see so many friends.
Pointing out that this was her first trip to Africa since taking office, the president said the delegation's purpose in visiting Swaziland was not merely to admire the country's beautiful scenery, but also to personally see all that's been achieved in Africa by hard-working businesspeople, technical missions, medical missions, and other personnel from Taiwan.
President Tsai pointed to the example of Tex-Ray Industrial Co., Ltd., which the delegation had just visited that day. The company employs thousands of people in Swaziland, and makes a significant contribution to the local job market and economic growth. She pointed out that Ms. Liao Mei-hua (廖美華), Commissioner of the Overseas Community Affairs Council (OCAC), came to Swaziland in the 1970s and has successfully built a business from the ground up. She is a model for Taiwanese businesspeople hoping to engage in sustainable business operations in Africa. The president remarked that every investment in Africa by a Taiwanese enterprise testifies to the courage, perseverance, and determination of the people of Taiwan, and creates opportunities for local development.
President Tsai noted that when she and some friends from the Taiwanese business community were chatting earlier that afternoon about investments in Africa, she told them, "We hear you." and that the government will do everything it can to support them.
Besides Taiwanese businesspeople, President Tsai pointed out that banquet attendees also included colleagues from Taiwan's medical, educational, and agricultural missions. These people, she said, embody the caring and compassion of Taiwanese that extends around the globe. Earlier that day, the president and her delegation visited the medical mission and the Swaziland College of Technology, where they saw the expertise and enthusiasm of the mission members. She thanked them, and said the next day she would visit the technical mission, which introduces new agricultural skills and technology to Swazi farms both big and small.
The president stated that in her conversation with Swaziland's Queen Mother Ntombi Tfwala earlier in the day, they talked about the next program Taiwan will be promoting, the "Greenhouse Project." Under that project, Taiwan will select four areas severely impacted by food shortages, and train 70 women in each area, including the startup of seedling nurseries to producing and selling their harvests. Taking a step-by-step approach, Taiwan aims to provide professional guidance to improve the rural economy. In the future, these 280 Swazi women will act as "seeds" to help Taiwan implement the program far and wide. Taiwan will need its agricultural mission to help promote this project, she said.
President Tsai remarked that Taiwan's current diplomatic strategy is based on the principles of steadfast diplomacy and mutual assistance for mutual benefits. The effectiveness of this strategy will depend on the hard work put in everyday by all of those present at the banquet.
The president also noted that Swaziland Minister of Public Works and Transport Lindiwe Dlamini was at the banquet, and it was only right that she should be there, because that night there were many Taiwanese businesspeople in attendance who could invest in Swaziland. President Tsai noted that Minister Dlamini was very excited, and welcomed anyone interested in investing in Swaziland to contact her.
The president emphasized that Taiwan will definitely stay engaged with Africa. Taiwan has the ability to contribute more to both Swaziland, and all of Africa, and should actively participate in this market as it has great potential. She said that her administration looks forward to working side-by-side with expatriate communities and leaders in the Taiwanese business community to create even closer and friendlier relations between Taiwan and African countries.
President Tsai reiterated that the government policy of valuing expatriates will not change, and she asked everyone to continue supporting the government. Most importantly, she said, the government welcomes them to come back to Taiwan often to see for themselves how Taiwan is changing.
The president stated that the government has worked hard over the past two years not only on the reforms mentioned earlier by Frank Chien (簡湧杰), a representative of South Africa's Taiwanese expatriate community and OCAC commissioner, but also to transform Taiwan's economy. Taiwan's domestic economy has finally bounced back from an extended period of sluggishness. Its stock market, exports, and economic growth are all performing very well, and unemployment has dropped to a 17-year low.
President Tsai once again emphasized that Taiwan's government is tackling many reforms and making structural adjustments to the economy that previous governments were unable, unwilling, or afraid to attempt. There may be ups and downs during the process, she said, but things will settle down once reform is on track, and people will gradually begin to see for themselves the fruits of these reform and restructuring efforts. She added: "Taiwan is doing well and making progress. Please show confidence in Taiwan."
Finally, the president thanked everyone once again for the warm welcome, as well as the expatriates who had made long journeys to attend the banquet. She concluded: "I wish you all the best in your lives and business pursuits in Africa."
Also attending the banquet were OCAC Commissioner Liao Mei-hua, a representative of Swaziland's Taiwanese expatriate community; National Security Council Secretary-General David T. Lee (李大維); Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮); OCAC Minister Wu Hsin-hsing (吳新興); National Security Council Deputy Secretary-General Tsai Ming-yen (蔡明彥); Legislative Yuan members Wang Ting-Yu (王定宇), Chen Ting-Fei (陳亭妃), and Chen Man-Li (陳曼麗); and ROC Ambassador to Swaziland Thomas J.C. Chen (陳經銓).