Taiwan Provides COVID-19 Treatment to Eswatini King

King Mswati III addresses the sixty-fourth session of the General Assembly at the United Nations in 2009.saying

Eswatini King Mswati III recovered from COVID-19 with the assistance of antiviral medication provided by the government of Taiwan, according to a speech he posted on Twitter.

“I am grateful to the president of the Republic of China on Taiwan for sending through this medication to treat me,” he said in his comments. His coronavirus infection had not previously been reported in the media, and the king claims he recovered quickly with the help of the medication, precluding the need for an announcement until now.

A spokesperson from Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry said that Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen arranged for the treatment directly. In a statement, they said, “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is gratified to hear of the Eswatini king’s successful recovery under the joint care of Taiwanese and Eswatini medical staff.” At this time, it remains unclear which antiviral King Mswati received, though some speculate that it could have been Gilead Science’s drug Remdesivir. 

Eswatini is the only remaining absolute monarchy in Africa as well as the only country on the continent that maintains formal diplomatic relations with the Republic of China (Taiwan) rather than with the People’s Republic of China. 

As a result, Taiwan’s decision to provide medical support to King Mswati can be seen as part of its efforts to garner allies on the continent as China’s influence in Africa continues to increase. Taiwan lost its only other African ally in 2018, when Burkina Faso severed relations with Taipei and began diplomatic relations with Beijing. 

China has expressed interest in starting diplomatic relations with Eswatini, with State Councillor Wang Yi saying,“We sincerely hope that [eSwatini] will join the family of China-Africa friendship at an early date.”

China maintains that Taiwan is simply a renegade province that should rightfully be under Beijing’s control. As a result, China  also claims that Taiwan has no right to maintain diplomatic relations with foreign countries. China has recently made significant strides in winning over states that had formally recognized Taiwan.

China has extensive political and commercial interests on the continent and remains Africa’s largest trading partner.