President Tsai delivers remarks during flight to Swaziland
President Tsai Ing-wen departed on April 17 at 08:00 a.m. on a state visit to Swaziland, one of Taiwan's allies in Africa. In remarks delivered over the aircraft's public address system, the president thanked colleagues at the Office of the President, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and other related government agencies for their planning and preparations, and called on everyone in the delegation to work together to advance Taiwan's diplomacy.
In addition to taking part in ceremonies marking the 50th anniversary of Swaziland's independence and the 50th birthday of H.M. King Mswati III, the president said this visit also coincides with the 50th anniversary of the establishment of official diplomatic relations between Taiwan and Swaziland. She went on to say that this trip will provide an opportunity to inspect some of the successes achieved through various bilateral cooperation projects. There are many partners and companies from Taiwan working in Africa, giving Taiwan a real presence there, and we want to visit them to provide encouragement and show our appreciation.
President Tsai also specially thanked the journalists traveling with the delegation, and noted that for many of them this was not their first time to accompany her overseas. The work of the traveling press corps is the only way people in Taiwan and around the world will ever learn about the tremendous contributions that Taiwanese living and working overseas have made to our nation's diplomacy, she said.
In closing, President Tsai thanked the China Airlines crew members for their thoughtful preparations and enthusiastic service. After the plane lands, she said, "Once again, let's all work together for Taiwan diplomacy."