By Nokunceda Magagula
The government has stated that diplomatic relations are not established through individual businesses of interest but through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.
The statement was made by the Government spokesperson Alpheos Nxumalo on Tuesday after the Chairperson of the Eswatini Minerals Management Board Prince Guduza, the Chief Mining Engineer and an investor recently travelled to Mainland China, creating the impression that Eswatini contemplating establishing diplomatic relations with Mainland China.
Nxumalo clarified that the impression was wrong. In November 2023, the Chairman of the Eswatini Minerals Management Board, the Chief Mining Engineer, and a Taiwanese businessman travelled to Mainland China for an official mineral beneficiation exercise.
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The purpose of the trip was for the businessman, whose company had recently been awarded a prospective license to extract minerals at Phophonyane, to showcase the machinery for their mining operations. The aim was to efficiently extract and produce high-quality by-products in Eswatini.
It should be noted that the People’s Republic of China was not the only place visited by the delegation, as they also went to Hong Kong.
“The aim of the trip was for the businessman, whose company had recently been awarded a prospective license to extract minerals at Phophonyane, to demonstrate the machinery they would use to conduct their mining operations in the country in order to extract and produce high-quality by-products,” Nxumalo said
Nxumalo said emaSwati will recall that His Majesty King Mswati III has instructed the Government to encourage investors to produce finished products instead of raw products to enhance foreign exchange so that emaSwati can benefit in a significant way.
Nxumalo explained that “it is important to state that diplomatic relations are not built on individual business interests, but are a result of deliberate action by the Head of State through issuing an instruction to that country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs,” he said.
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The spokesperson said for now, Eswatini’s relations with the Republic of China, and Taiwan, are still going strong and there are no indications that they will ever falter.
He highlighted the trading relationship between Eswatini and Mainland China, stating that it is critical to also note that Eswatini has a good trading relationship with Mainland China, as they are the country’s second-largest trading partners, after the Republic of South Africa.
Nxumalo added that Eswatini is also host to several businesses from Mainland China that are freely conducting business in this country.
“For example, the company constructing Mpakeni Dam in the Shiselweni Region is from Beijing. Therefore, the Government has no reason to fight with investors from Mainland China neither is there any reason for emaSwati not to travel to that country,” Nxumalo said.
“The reports that are circulating on social media are far from the truth and are based on ignorance and lack of facts,” Nxumalo emphasized.
