Communists condemn Taiwan National Flag Day Celebration in Swaziland

The Taiwanese ambassador to Swaziland speaking at an event for Taiwan National Flag Day -- image via X

The Communist Party of Swaziland (CPS) strongly condemns the celebration of Taiwan National Flag Day to be held on the 7th of October 2025 at the Happy Valley Hotel in Swaziland. This is a neo-colonial event that represents a deliberate attempt to entrench foreign domination and undermine the sovereignty of the Swazi people. The act of hoisting the so-called “Taiwanese flag” is illegal and not permitted as there is only one China, and the People’s Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China. This is not an innocent display of friendship or partnership, but a continuation of imperialist manipulation meant to sustain the Tinkhundla dictatorship and frustrate the broader democratic struggle of the oppressed in our country.Mswa

Taiwan’s Historical Roots and Its Establishment in Swaziland

The origins of Taiwan lie in the historical context of the Chinese Civil War (1945–1949), which resulted in the victory of the people of China led by the Communist Party of China (CPC) towards the establishment of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) on 1 October 1949. The defeated Kuomintang (KMT) forces, led by Chiang Kai-shek, fled to the island of Taiwan where they established an illegitimate regime sustained by the imperialist powers, chiefly the United States of America. Since then, Taiwan has been used as a colonial outpost and a political weapon against China.

Swaziland’s formal relations with Taiwan began in 1968, the same year the country gained sham independence from Britain. This relationship was never about the interests of the Swazi people but rather a calculated alliance between two reactionary regimes.

Tinkhundla autocracy found in Taiwan an imperial partner willing to bankroll repression, corruption, and anti-democratic governance under the guise of development aid. In return, Taiwan sought to secure diplomatic legitimacy and political influence in Africa, a continent that overwhelmingly supports the One China Policy, which recognizes the People’s Republic of China as the sole legitimate representative of the Chinese people.

Through this alliance, Taiwan established deep roots in Swaziland’s economy, education, and state institutions, using technical assistance, scholarships, medical assistance and agricultural projects as soft power tools to shape the country’s political direction. The Taiwanese presence in Swaziland has been used to mask their imperial ambition and to launder their image as a benevolent partner, while in reality advancing their campaign to isolate China and align Swaziland with the interests of global capitalism.

Taiwan’s Undermining of the One China Policy

By maintaining diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Swaziland remains the only country in Africa to openly defy the international consensus supporting the One China principle. This is not a coincidence but a result of Taiwan’s aggressive strategy to undermine China’s sovereignty and to challenge the socialist alternative that China represents in global geopolitics.

The celebration of Taiwan’s flag day in Swaziland is, therefore, an open declaration of allegiance to imperialism. It is a symbolic act meant to legitimize Taiwan’s separatism and to reinforce Mswati’s reactionary alliance with foreign powers that seek to keep Swaziland underdeveloped, politically isolated and economically dependent.

The CPS denounces this act as an insult to the working class, the peasantry, and the democratic forces fighting to liberate Swaziland from both internal despotism and external domination. The continued recognition of Taiwan by the Tinkhundla regime is a betrayal of African solidarity, a violation of the principles of anti-colonialism and a direct assault on the international working-class struggle against imperialism.

Call to Action: Unite Against Taiwan’s Colonial Manipulation

The Communist Party of Swaziland calls upon all progressive forces, trade unions, youth, students, women, peasants and the entire pro-democracy movement to stand firm against Taiwan’s colonial interference in our country. The so-called Taiwan-Swaziland friendship is not based on mutual respect but on subjugation and exploitation. Taiwan’s aid and investment projects are designed to sustain Mswati’s autocratic rule, not to empower the working people of Swaziland.

We must, therefore, build a strong Anti-Taiwan Colonialism Campaign as part of our broader struggle for national liberation and socialism. This campaign must expose Taiwan’s manipulation of the Swazi state, reject its propaganda of development cooperation and mobilize the masses around the demand to cut all diplomatic ties with Taiwan in favor of the One China Policy that respects global sovereignty and international law.

The CPS reiterates that the liberation of Swaziland will not come through foreign-sponsored so called development projects, but through the organized revolutionary struggle of the people. The fight against the Tinkhundla regime must be joined with the struggle against all forms of imperialist domination, either from the United States, the European Union or Taiwan.

Down with Taiwan’s colonial interference!

Down with Mswati’s foreign puppetry!

Forward to a Free, Democratic, and Socialist Swaziland!