Taiwan's President Seeks to Reinforce Ties with Africa's Last Ally

(MENAFN) Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te touched down in Eswatini Sunday to tour landmark development projects and shore up ties with the island's sole remaining African ally — a visit shadowed by fresh allegations that Beijing deliberately sabotaged his travel arrangements.

The trip came after Lai's own aircraft was reportedly grounded following pressure from mainland China on Seychelles, Mauritius, and Madagascar to revoke his flight permits in accordance with the One China Policy — forcing him to arrive Saturday aboard King Mswati III's private jet, having missed the monarch's dual celebrations marking 40 years on the throne and a 58th royal birthday.

Undeterred, Lai took direct aim at Beijing upon landing.

"No country has the right to block Taiwan and no country should ever block Taiwan from contributing to the world," he said.

He pressed further, delivering a pointed assertion of Taiwanese sovereignty: "The Republic of Taiwan is a sovereign country. Taiwan is the Taiwan of the world. The 23.3 million Taiwanese people have engaged and embraced the world."

On Sunday, Lai toured the Ezulwini Palazzo, a world-class international convention center, which he framed as a cornerstone of forward-looking economic development. "The prestigious facility will attract more Taiwanese entrepreneurs to invest, cultivate local talent and promote integration into global supply chains," he said.

At the Royal Science and Technology Park, the president received a briefing on a strategically significant oil storage facility built with Taiwanese financial backing — one he ranked among the most consequential joint initiatives since the two nations formalized diplomatic relations in 1968. "The strategic oil storage tank creates energy security and national resilience," he said.

In a gesture aimed at cementing ties with the Eswatini royal household, Lai paid a courtesy call on Her Majesty the Queen Mother, Indlovukazi Ntombi Tfwala, who expressed gratitude for Taiwan's sustained development assistance. The two sides exchanged gifts as symbols of goodwill and mutual cooperation.

Addressing the enduring partnership between both nations, Lai expressed warm appreciation for Eswatini's unflinching diplomatic loyalty: "Thank you your majesty for remaining on the side of Taiwan and always voicing staunch support for Taiwan on the international stage."

He closed with a declaration of deepening bilateral bonds: "Our 58 years of ties are unwavering and our cooperation will continue to strengthen between our people, will continue to deepen or relations. That shows that the people of the Republic of Taiwan and the kingdom of Eswatini are truly a family."

The visit underscores Taipei's intensifying effort to defend its dwindling circle of formal allies as Beijing tightens its diplomatic stranglehold — with Eswatini now standing as Taiwan's only remaining partner on the African continent.

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