Taiwan's Lai Arrives in Eswatini After Airspace Restrictions Disrupt Earlier Trip

Mintesinot Niggusie

Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te arrived in Eswatini on Saturday, following a postponed visit last month after reported airspace restrictions over Indian Ocean states disrupted his travel plans.

The trip, which had not been publicly announced by either government, comes as Taiwan continues to maintain diplomatic relations with a small group of 12 countries, mostly in Latin America, the Caribbean and the Pacific, that formally recognise the island.

Eswatini is one of Taiwan's remaining diplomatic partners. Lai Ching-te's visit follows the cancellation of an earlier planned trip to attend the 40th anniversary of King Mswati III's accession, after Taiwan said flight permits were revoked by Seychelles, Mauritius and Madagascar, which manage the relevant airspace corridors.

Taiwan's government attributed the earlier disruption to external pressure from Beijing, describing it as the first time a presidential trip had been fully cancelled due to airspace denial. Officials in Taipei have since raised concerns that the incident signals tighter constraints on Taiwan's international travel.

Lai posted on social media that he had arrived in Eswatini despite what he described as external pressure. He said Taiwan would continue to engage internationally and would not be deterred by political or logistical obstacles.

Neither his statement nor an official government release detailed the route used for the trip, although he shared an image showing him disembarking from what appeared to be an Eswatini government aircraft. The aircraft had earlier transported Deputy Prime Minister Thulisile Dladla to Taipei.

China's Foreign Ministry criticised the visit, alleging that Lai had travelled secretly on a foreign aircraft and misused public resources. It also reiterated its position that Taiwan remains part of China and dismissed the legitimacy of Taiwan's diplomatic engagements.

Beijing's claims over Taiwan are rejected by Lai and his administration, which maintain that the island has the right to conduct foreign relations and that its future can only be decided by its people. The earlier disruption to Lai's travel plans drew reactions from several Western governments, including the United States and members of the European Union.