Taiwan's Lai Visits Eswatini After April Trip Cancellation

Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te arrived in Eswatini on Saturday, marking his first visit to the southern African nation since a previous trip planned for late April was canceled after several countries revoked overflight permissions for his aircraft.

Lai announced his arrival in social media posts on Facebook and X, noting that despite the delay, "the people of Eswatini have still given us the warmest and most enthusiastic welcome." He described the kingdom as one that has "stood firm against various diplomatic and economic pressures" and affirmed Taiwan's commitment to deepening ties through economic, agricultural, cultural and educational cooperation. Taiwanese officials attributed the earlier cancellation to pressure from China, which they said prompted Seychelles, Mauritius and Madagascar to withdraw flight permits for the April 22 itinerary. The government made no prior announcement of the rescheduled visit, citing careful planning by diplomatic and national security teams.

Eswatini remains Taiwan's sole diplomatic ally in Africa and one of its 12 remaining formal partners worldwide. China, which claims Taiwan as its territory and has not ruled out the use of force to...