Despite the PRC-impelled refusal of several African countries to let ROC President Lai Ching-te cross their airspace in order to get to Eswatini, the Republic of China’s diplomatic mission there continues.
From Taiwan, President Lai sent a video message to the king. And the ROC’s foreign minister managed to reach Eswatini in person—probably because his own trip was planned in such a way as to avoid a repeat of what happened to President Lai (Reuters, April 27, 2025).
Taiwan Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung arrived in Eswatini saying Taipei would not be held back by “authoritarian forces”, after the government accused China of pressuring three African states to block overflight permission for President Lai Ching-te. [Above, Lin is shown soon after his arrival in Eswatini, greeting Taiwanese nationals who reside in the country.]…
It marked the first time a Taiwan president cancelled an entire foreign trip due to denial of airspace access, representing what appeared to be a new Chinese strategy to curb the island’s international engagement.
Late on Saturday Lin posted a picture on Facebook of himself getting off a private jet upon arrival in the small southern African kingdom, formerly known as Swaziland….
Lai, in a video message on Sunday to King Mswati III for the 40th anniversary of his accession, said the Republic of China, Taiwan’s formal name, is a “sovereign country” and belongs to the world.
“Our 23 million people have the right to engage with the international community. The greater the external pressure we face, the more courage and resolve we have,” he said in English.
The foreign minister’s trip was about more than affirming friendship with Eswatini on the occasion of the autocratic ruler’s birthday and his fortieth year in power. There was business to discuss, maybe.
The ROC has been helping the country to establish a strategic oil reserve facility, construction of which was begun by a Taiwanese firm early in the year. Meanwhile, reports Lin, “some 60 Taiwanese investors have visited Eswatini to explore investment opportunities.”
