Lai returns from Eswatini, says Taiwan will not bow to pressure

Lai Ching-te returned to Taiwan on Tuesday after a state visit to Eswatini, saying the island would not bow to pressure even as his flight home required a circuitous route over the southern Indian Ocean to avoid airspace controlled by countries friendly to China. The detour turned a routine presidential trip into a vivid demonstration of how Taiwan’s diplomacy is constrained by geography, airspace control and Beijing’s ability to raise the cost of contact with Taipei.

The visit carried unusual weight because Taiwan has only 12 formal diplomatic partners, and Eswatini is its only ally in Africa. Taiwan’s presidential office had originally scheduled the trip for April 22-26, with a return on April 27, to mark King Mswati III’s 40th anniversary on the throne and his 58th birthday. But Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Seychelles, Mauritius and Madagascar revoked overflight permission for Lai’s chartered plane, prompting officials to call the denials unprecedented and raising alarm among Taiwanese policymakers who see a possible new Chinese tactic to limit the island’s international engagement.

The trip ultimately took place from May 2-5. Lai arrived in Eswatini on May 2 and met King Mswati III during the visit, where the two leaders witnessed the signing of a joint communiqué. Taiwan’s presidential office said Lai also presented cattle and Taiwan-themed cultural gifts to the king. For the return journey, Lai flew back on Mswati III’s private A340, underscoring both the practical workaround required for Taiwan’s leaders and the symbolism attached to every foreign trip to one of Taipei’s few remaining partners.

The United States sought to reinforce Taipei’s position. The State Department described Taiwan as a “trusted and capable partner” and said Taiwan’s global relationships, including with Eswatini, provide significant benefits. Beijing, meanwhile, kept up the pressure with unusually harsh language, calling Lai a rat and describing the trip as a skulking visit. Eswatini’s population is around 1.3 million, but the diplomatic stakes attached to the kingdom are far larger: in a contest over sovereignty and recognition, even one short visit became a test of how much room Taiwan has left to move.