Taiwan President Lai Ching-te landed in Eswatini on Saturday, completing a state visit to Taipei's only diplomatic ally in Africa more than a week after Seychelles, Mauritius and Madagascar revoked overflight permits that Taiwan's government said had been pulled under pressure from Beijing. Lai announced the arrival on X and Facebook only after his plane was on the ground, a precaution Taiwan's Foreign Ministry said had numerous international precedents.
The trip is the most public test in years of how far China can push third countries to isolate Taiwan, a self-ruled democracy of which Beijing claims sovereignty. Lai's plane was originally scheduled to depart April 22, and the 10-day delay marks the first time Taiwanese officials have publicly accused other governments of yanking flight clearance for a sitting president mid-itinerary.
What was blocked
Taiwan's presidential office said Seychelles, Mauritius and Madagascar canceled flight permits for Lai's charter plane without notice and called the move "without precedent in the international community," according to Al Jazeera. Taipei attributed the cancellations to "strong pressure from the Chinese authorities, including economic coercion," NPR reported.
Deutsche Welle reported that Beijing denied applying economic pressure but said it had "high appreciation" for the three countries' actions. It is unclear what route Lai's aircraft eventually used to reach the landlocked southern African kingdom; the Taiwanese leader credited "meticulous arrangements made by our diplomatic and national security teams" in a Facebook post.
On the ground
Lai met King Mswati III at the Mandvulo Grand Hall near Manzini and signed trade agreements, Al Jazeera reported, citing the Taiwan Presidential Office. He said he was greeted with a "military-style welcoming ceremony." In a separate post on X, Lai said the visit would "affirm our longstanding friendship" and that Taiwan "will never be deterred by external pressures."
Lai said the trip would deepen economic, agricultural, cultural and educational ties between the two governments. Eswatini, formerly known as Swaziland, has a population of about 1.2 million and is the only African country excluded from tariff-free access to China's market because of its relationship with Taipei, NPR reported. The last Taiwanese president to visit was Tsai Ing-wen in 2023.
Beijing's response
A spokesperson for China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Lai was "performing a laughable stunt in front of the world" and accused him of being "smuggled" out of Taiwan on a foreign plane. The ministry called the visit an "undignified act" and a "losing cause," adding that "nothing will ever change the fact that Taiwan is part of China."
"We urge Eswatini and some other individual countries to see where the arc of history bends and stop serving as the prop of 'Taiwan independence' separatists," the ministry said. Taiwan's Foreign Ministry replied that the trip was conducted "in accordance with international law, international norms, diplomatic practices" and Taiwan's regulations.
A shrinking map
China has spent decades pressing governments to sever formal ties with Taipei, and Taiwan now has only 12 diplomatic allies, according to Deutsche Welle and Al Jazeera. Seven are in Latin America and the Caribbean — Belize, Guatemala, Paraguay, Haiti, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Three are in the Pacific: the Marshall Islands, Palau and Tuvalu. Eswatini is the lone African holdout, and the Vatican is the only European one.
The United States does not formally recognize Taiwan but has pledged to help defend it under the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act, Al Jazeera reported. On Friday, a day before Lai landed in Eswatini, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a phone call that Taiwan is the "biggest risk" in relations between Beijing and Washington, NPR reported, citing Taipei's response.
From Beijing's vantage, the overflight episode shows the leverage China holds over small economies that depend on its market — and the practical fragility of Taiwan's remaining allies, any of whom could come under similar pressure. Eswatini, which already pays a tariff price for its ties to Taipei, is the visible test case.
Lai is expected to return to Taipei after the Eswatini program concludes.