Taiwan-Eswatini relations

“The Taiwanese People Should Stand With the People of Swaziland”: A Conversation with Tanele Maseko

Brian Hioe
New Bloom editor Brian Hioe interviewed Tanele Maseko, human rights defender from Swaziland and the wife of Thulani Maseko. Thulani Maseko, an opposition politician and human rights lawyer, was killed by unidentified gunman in January of this year. As this took place after comments by Swazi monarch King Mswati III suggesting that critics of his should be killed, it is thought that this killing was ordered by the monarch. Tanele Maseko was visiting Taipei for the Oslo Freedom Forum on October 18th. Despite the questionable human rights record of Swaziland, which was renamed Eswatini by Mswati III in April 2018, it is one of Taiwan's diplomatic allies. Taiwanese president Tsai Ing-wen most recently visited Eswatini this September. ...
EnglishNovember 2023Politics11 min read

Tsai’s Eswatini Trip Continues Praise of Authoritarian Monarchy

Brian Hioe
A recent visit to Eswatini by Taiwanese president Tsai Ing-wen saw Tsai praise Eswatini for its support of Taiwan, while lauding the relationship between Taiwan and Eswatini as “the epitome of progress and development”. However, what Tsai did not mention in her comments was the fact that Eswatini’s government is an authoritarian one, as a country in which freedom of political association is forbidden and ruled over by one of the world’s last absolute monarchs...
EnglishPoliticsSeptember 20236 min read

Tensions in Both Taiwan and Eswatini a Major Threat to their Fledging Diplomatic Relationship

Fundizwi Sikhondze
eSwatini's continued diplomatic relations with the Republic of China (Taiwan) have become an issue that has drawn attention both locally and internationally. This is particularly because Eswatini is now the only remaining country diplomatically linked to Taiwan in the continent of Africa. To many, Eswatini stands to lose out to China’s grand development programme, on the other hand, there is also the belief that Taiwan is a long-time friend that cannot be abandoned at will...
EnglishMay 2023Politics6 min read

Eswatini Donation Continues Taiwan’s Backing of Authoritarian Monarchy

Brian Hioe
The Tsai administration announced a donation of 637 million NT to Eswatini last week. The donation is earmarked for a fund for reconstruction work in Eswatini that will take place under the auspices of King Mswati III, following some of the largest protests to take place in Eswatini in its 53 years of independence. The donation was the largest contribution to the fund, with other donations coming from state-operated enterprises in Eswatini and the military...
EnglishPoliticsSeptember 20216 min read

Pro-Democracy Protests in Eswatini Reminiscent of Taiwan’s Past, Despite Taiwan’s Support of Government

Brian Hioe
Demonstrations that have rocked Eswatini in past days are among the largest protests to take place in the African country in its 53 years of independence. That being said, they have scarcely been commented on in Taiwan, despite that Eswatini is one of Taiwan’s few remaining diplomatic countries—and despite the fact that such protests have strong parallels to Taiwan’s history of democratization...
EnglishJuly 2021Politics7 min read