Beijing sends message to Africa’s last absolute monarchy over Taiwan ties

Eswatini is the only country on the continent that did not attend the 2024 China-Africa Cooperation Summit this week

The Chinese Foreign Ministry says it expects the Kingdom of Eswatini to “make the right decision” and sever its diplomatic ties with Taiwan. The landlocked state is the only African country that is an ally of the self-governing island, which Beijing considers to be part of China.

Mao Ning, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, made the remarks on Wednesday in response to a question from reporters about Beijing’s ties with Eswatini.

“There is but one China in the world, and Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory… African countries widely support the One-China principle and view their cooperation with China as helpful for Africa’s economic prosperity and sustainable development,” Mao said.

“Developing official relations with the Taiwan region is not in Eswatini’s interest. We believe Eswatini will eventually see the prevailing trend in the world and make the right decision accordingly,” she told reporters.

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Mao’s media briefing took place on the sidelines of the China-Africa Cooperation Summit (FOCAC) – held in Beijing from Wednesday to Friday and attended by leaders and delegations from more than 50 African countries.

Eswatini, Africa’s last absolute monarchy, was the only country absent at the summit, during which Chinese President Xi Jinping announced plans for $50 billion in joint projects with allies on the continent. Xi proposed ten partnership action plans to enhance China-Africa cooperation in areas such as green technologies, education, health, security, and agriculture.

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The kingdom’s southern African neighbors, including the presidents of South Africa and Zambia, participated in the three-day summit and held bilateral meetings to shore up ties with Beijing. The military rulers of Mali and Gabon, whose governments several Western powers have labeled illegitimate, also attended the event and agreed to elevate their countries’ relationship with China to a “strategic” level.