Taiwan President Lai Ching-te arrived in Eswatini on Saturday in an unannounced visit, weeks after scrapping a planned overseas trip that Taipei said was disrupted by Chinese pressure on regional airspace access.
Eswatini is one of just 12 countries worldwide that maintain formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan, most of them small nations in Latin America, the Caribbean and the Pacific. Preserving those alliances remains a key priority for Taipei as it faces growing international isolation driven by Beijing.
Last month, Lai cancelled a trip to mark the 40th anniversary of King Mswati III’s accession after authorities in the Seychelles, Mauritius and Madagascar revoked overflight permissions. Taiwan said the move followed pressure from China, marking the first time a Taiwanese president had cancelled an entire trip due to denied airspace access—seen by officials as a new tactic to restrict the island’s international outreach.
In posts on social media, Lai confirmed his arrival, vowing that Taiwan would not be deterred by external pressure and would continue engaging globally despite mounting challenges.
Neither his office nor Lai disclosed details of his travel route, though images showed him disembarking from what appeared to be an Eswatini government aircraft, the same plane that recently transported Deputy Prime Minister Thulisile Dladla to Taipei.
China’s Foreign Ministry criticised the visit, accusing Lai of covertly travelling abroad and “wasting public funds,” while reiterating Beijing’s position that Taiwan is part of China. The ministry also accused Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party of seeking foreign backing to bolster its standing.
Beijing claims sovereignty over Taiwan and opposes any official exchanges between Taipei and foreign governments. Lai has rejected those claims, maintaining that Taiwan’s future can only be decided by its people and that the island has the right to maintain international relations.
The earlier cancellation of Lai’s trip drew criticism of China from the United States and raised concerns among European powers including Britain, France and Germany.