Swazi Observer

FULL STORY

TWO TAIWAN BUSINESS DELEGATIONS HEADING FOR ESWATINI NEXT MONTH

By Kingâ€™s Office Correspondent | 2018-06-12

Two delegations of Taiwan business persons will be visiting Eswatini in July and September this year.

The July delegation will be led by officials from the Taiwan government while the September group comprises of a private business consortium.

This was disclosed at a business dinner themed “Business Cooperation” hosted by what His Majesty the King described as a ‘triple-Lin’ venture.

Three businesses led by Lin executives, namely Taiwan Glass Company Chairperson Por-Fong Lin, Tex-Ray Group of Companies Chairperson Ray Lin and Vice President of Hun Nan Bank Tommy Lin, joined forces to host the dinner.

“We look forward to hosting these business delegations and striking deals at the end of their visits. We are confident that they will find a conducive investment climate as Eswatini has put in place attractive incentives for them,” he said.

The King described some of these as the recently enacted special economic zones that provide a 20 year tax free holiday with a possibility for renewal.

He also highlighted the signing of the Economic Co-operation Agreement (ECA) which affords all Eswatini produced goods duty free access to the Taiwan market.

“This is a huge opportunity not only for Eswatini companies, but for Taiwanese companies invested in the country. What we need now is to make things happen by putting these incentives into action,” he stressed. His Majesty said he was looking forward to the Tex-Ray group expansion, the setting up of a Glass factory and the establishment of a Hua Nan bank branch in the kingdom. He encouraged all other Taiwanese businesses to join the delegations to Eswatini where they will find an open door policy with accessible structures to address any challenges they may face.

“Earlier in the day, I had the opportunity to visit petroleum and steel manufacturing companies and they indicated their interest in expanding to Eswatini. This is encouraging and we call upon others to join the delegations heading to the kingdom,” he said.

The king then invited the business community to take time to indulge in the country’s tourism that had the world’s most unique cultural event, umhlanga, among other features.

“I trust you will give Eswatini serious consideration so that you can play an important role in helping us realise the aspirations of our Vision 2022. We hope you will be counted among those who made a difference. Your efforts will leave a legacy to be remembered for decades to come,” he said.

Speaking at the dinner, Por-Fong Lin said their company visited Eswatini in June last year and identified a huge business potential in the African market.

He said they were well received by the King and fell in love with the country. He said this had contributed to their company’s decision to make a second visit in September to carry out a feasibility study on the establishment of a Glass factory.

Ray Lin, who is well known in the textile industry, told His Majesty that the company now had plans to expand its portfolio into the agriculture sector in the kingdom. He said the country had treaded the Tex-Ray group very well over the past 18 years and was committed to give something back through promoting Taiwanese investment for job creation.

Tommy Lin said he was happy to see that the past 50 years for Eswatini was focussed on development of infrastructure. He said he was determined to see to it that the next 50 years for Eswatini was for earning from its development.

Lin, who announced an internship programme for Eswatini students studying in Taiwan, disclosed yesterday that a few companies, whose representatives were among the guests last night, had signed up to take in some of the students. The evening saw a surprise form of entertainment as the businessmen dressed in traditional attire took to the microphones for an entertaining karaoke session.

Taiwanese graduate,Prince Buhlebenkhosi, joined in and sang Sand’s popular ‘Tigi’ hit song with Tommy Lin who seemed to equal the Prince’s Mandarin rendition of two Chinese favourites they sang together.

share story