Taiwan’s president lands in Eswatini in a trip delayed by lack of overflight clearance
Lai said Taiwan will deepen economic and diplomatic cooperation after signing customs and trade agreements with Eswatini.
- Taiwan President Lai Ching-te arrived in Eswatini to "affirm our longstanding friendship" after his government postponed the trip due to revoked flight permits from three African nations.
- Seychelles, Mauritius, and Madagascar revoked flight permits for the original April 22 trip, with Taiwanese officials citing "strong pressure from the Chinese authorities" and economic coercion as reasons.
- Lai stated the visit aims to deepen friendship through closer economic, agricultural, cultural, and educational ties, following careful arrangements by his diplomatic and national security teams.
- Eswatini remains Taiwan's only diplomatic ally in Africa, a relationship that excludes the nation from tariff-free access to China's market; former President Tsai Ing-wen last visited the landlocked nation of around 1.2 million in 2023.
130 Articles
130 Articles
Lai Ching-te Defies External Pressure as Taiwan–Eswatini State Visit Begins
Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te led a delegation and arrived in Eswatini on May 2 to begin a state visit. The move drew strong criticism from mainland China’s Taiwan Affairs Office, which reiterated its adherence to the “One China principle.” According to the Taipei Times, Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council responded that the President of the Republic […]
Saudi Gazette
AlKhaleej TodayTaiwan president visits Eswatini days after blaming China for abandoned trip
Taiwan President Lai Ching-te said his government will never give up on engaging with the world as he visited Eswatini, amid Chinese efforts to block the trip.
Taiwan’s president makes it to Eswatini, in spite of Beijing
Taiwan’s president made it to Eswatini, much to Beijing’s chagrin.The island’s leader, Lai Ching-te, had planned to visit his lone African ally last month but said he canceled his trip because China had pressured neighboring countries to close their airspace.Berlin and Prague also reportedly denied Taiwan’s requests to transit through Europe. But on Saturday, Lai announced he was in Eswatini following a clandestine, unspecified maneuver.Taiwan, …
Taiwan president visits African ally Eswatini after canceling original trip
Taiwan President Lai Ching-te has arrived in the African nation of Eswatini after postponing a trip to the country in April. Taiwan said some countries revoked flight permits for his plane due to pressure from China.
China has made every effort to prevent the president's journey to the small kingdom of Eswatini, which is recognized as the only African country in Taiwan. However, the president succeeded in mysterious ways to Africa. Nevertheless, the fact that Lai managed to do it is a loss of face for Beijing. And for Taipei a small triumph.
Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te flew to Swaziland on Saturday for a surprise official visit, just days after he accused China of pressuring African countries to revoke his original overflight permits for a trip he had planned to take from April 22 to 26. Bloomberg reported at the time that he had also not received permission from the Czech Republic and Germany after internal debate.
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