TAIPEI, Taiwan — Taiwan’s President Lai Ching‑te said Saturday he had arrived in Eswatini, days after his planned trip was delayed when several countries revoked permission for his plane to overfly their territory, reportedly under Chinese pressure.
Lai posted on X that he reached Eswatini — Taiwan’s only diplomatic ally in Africa — to “affirm our longstanding friendship,” and wrote that Taiwan, a self‑ruled democracy Beijing claims as its own, “will never be deterred by external pressures.”
The visit was originally scheduled to begin April 22, but Taiwanese officials said Seychelles, Mauritius and Madagascar rescinded flight permits after “strong pressure from the Chinese authorities, including economic coercion.” Taiwan said careful arrangements by its diplomatic and national security teams made the trip possible.
In a Facebook post, Lai said the visit will deepen ties with Eswatini across economic, agricultural, cultural and educational areas. He added that Taiwan will continue to engage globally despite challenges, and Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry said Lai’s trip complied with international law, norms and diplomatic practice.
Taiwan announced Lai’s arrival only after he landed, a precaution the ministry said has many international precedents.
China’s Foreign Ministry reacted sharply after Lai’s social media posts, calling the trip a “laughable stunt” and saying he had been “smuggled” out of Taiwan. The statement described Lai’s visit as an “undignified act,” asserted that Taiwan is part of China and urged Eswatini and other countries to abandon support for what it called “Taiwan independence” separatists.
China has not ruled out using force to bring Taiwan under its control and has worked to prevent other countries from recognizing Taipei. In 2023, Tsai Ing‑wen was the most recent Taiwanese president to visit Eswatini. The small landlocked kingdom, with about 1.2 million people, has faced economic consequences from its ties to Taiwan: it was excluded from China’s tariff‑free access program.
On Friday, Taiwan expressed concern after Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a phone call that Taiwan is the “biggest risk” in relations between Beijing and Washington.