Taiwan President Lai defies Chinese pressure with surprise Eswatini visit

Taiwan President Lai Ching-te used a surprise visit to Eswatini to push back against Chinese pressure, landing in the African kingdom after an earlier trip was postponed when his flight lost overflight clearances. The trip carried outsized weight for Taipei because Eswatini is Taiwan’s only remaining diplomatic ally in Africa, and Taiwan now maintains formal ties with just 12 countries.

Lai’s visit, planned for April 22 to 27, was tied to a rare display of diplomatic endurance. Taiwan’s Presidential Office said King Mswati III personally invited him, underscoring that the relationship still has active backing at the highest level in Mbabane. Taiwan’s foreign ministry said the April 25 celebrations marked three milestones at once: the 40th anniversary of King Mswati III’s accession, his 58th birthday and Eswatini’s 58th anniversary of independence.

The visit also highlighted the practical side of a relationship that has survived decades of pressure. Taiwan and Eswatini established diplomatic relations on Sept. 6, 1968, and Taiwan’s embassy in Eswatini says the two sides have cooperated in agriculture, education, health care, ICT, renewable energy and vocational training. A Taiwan-backed International Convention Centre opened as part of the celebrations, a reminder that the partnership is not only symbolic but also built into infrastructure and development projects on the ground.

Lai’s arrival came after Taiwan said Seychelles, Mauritius and Madagascar revoked previously granted overflight clearances for his aircraft, forcing the postponement of an earlier trip. The U.S. State Department said it was concerned that several African countries had revoked the permits at China’s behest, while China rejected Washington’s criticism. The episode made clear how even basic travel for Taiwan’s president can become a battlefield in Beijing’s campaign to narrow Taipei’s international room to move.

Beijing’s reaction to the Eswatini visit was equally combative. A Chinese spokesperson described Lai as a rat and said his conduct would be ridiculed internationally, while Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council called the language crude and said Lai did not need Beijing’s permission to travel anywhere. The exchange captured the deeper stakes of the trip: for Taiwan, each visit to a remaining ally is a demonstration that it can still function as a sovereign actor; for China, it is a challenge to its effort to isolate the island and strip away its legitimacy.