Eswatini - Date Unknown

Storyline:
People in the Kingdom of Eswatini, a landlocked country in Southern Africa, are calling on their government to establish diplomatic relations with China, believing that such ties will bring significant benefits to their country.

The 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), held from Wednesday to Friday in Beijing, is the largest diplomatic event hosted by China in recent years, featuring the highest attendance of foreign leaders.

Eswatini, which still maintains official ties with China's Taiwan region, is the only African country not participating in the summit, making it the sole outlier on the continent. Its official ties with the Taiwan region goes against the trend of every other African country, who have all adhered to the one-China principle and forged close relations with China.

Gugu's plea is not the only call for change. China and Eswatini currently have no official economic agreements, and business interactions are minimal and non-governmental. Locals are now calling on their government to tap into China's vast market, a demand that has grown as they see neighboring countries benefiting from cooperation with China.

At the just-concluded 2024 FOCAC Summit, Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed ten concrete actions to enhance partnership with Africa and advance a vision of modernization for the Global South. These partnership actions cover a range of areas, such as economic and trade cooperation as well as people-to-people and cultural exchanges. Some in Eswatini also hope to join this partnership to achieve the modernization of the country.

At the summit, China has also pledged to provide over 50 billion U.S. dollars in financial support over the next three years to implement the ten-point action plan for Africa.

On Wednesday, China's Foreign Ministry expressed confidence that Eswatini will eventually align with the international situation and make the right decision in accordance with historical trends.

Shotlist:
FILE: Eswatini - Date Unknown:
1. Various of street views, pedestrians;
Eswatini - Recent:
2. SOUNDBITE (Siswati, dubbed in English) Gugu Mabuza, hairdresser:
"We are urging our government to please forge relations with China. We're the only ones in Africa who don't have these relations."
FILE: Eswatini - Date Unknown:
3. Customers in front of candle store;
4. Various of handicrafts;
5. Crafter working;
Eswatini - Recent:
6. SOUNDBITE (Siswati, dubbed in English) Bethusile Dlamini, chairwoman, Coalition of Informal Vendors Association:
"We've seen that other crafters from Southern African countries benefit a lot from China because their countries have relations with China. We'd be so happy if Eswatini and China would have formal relations."
Beijing, China - Sept 2, 2024:
7. Traffic;
8. Banners of 2024 Summit of FOCAC;
Eswatini - Recent:
9. SOUNDBITE (Siswati, dubbed in English) Maxwell Shongwe, home video producer:
"Not having relations with China affects us directly. You know, most machinery is bought from China at reasonable prices, and as someone who works with machines, it would be great to get access to China. We're asking our leaders, the King, and the stakeholders to please consider working with China. It would make a difference to us, the people of this country."
FILE: Africa - 2023:
10. Aerial shot of farmland;
11. Chinese, African agricultural technicians on farmland;
12. Various of Chinese, African researchers in lab;
FILE: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia - Date Unknown:
13. Africa CDC building;
FILE: Exact Location and Date Unknown:
14. Various of Chinese medical workers caring patients, performing surgery;
FILE: Africa - Exact Location and Date Unknown:
15. Various of photovoltaic panels;
FILE: Kenya - Date Unknown:
16. Aerial shots of train running on Mombasa-Nairobi Railway;
17. Passengers onboard train;
FILE: Nairobi, Kenya - Oct 2023:
18. Aerial shot of Mombasa Terminus;
FILE: Nairobi, Kenya - Nov 2023:
19. Train arriving at platform.

[Restrictions : No access Chinese mainland]