Taiwan President Lai says the island has a right to international engagement after returning from Eswatini
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The Facts
- President Lai Ching-te returned to Taiwan on May 5 after a trip to Eswatini and said Taiwan has the right to engage with the world.
- Eswatini is Taiwan’s only diplomatic ally in Africa.
- Lai’s Eswatini trip had originally been scheduled for April 22-26 but was delayed or canceled before being rescheduled.
- Taiwan’s government said China pressured Seychelles, Mauritius and Madagascar to revoke or deny overflight permission for Lai’s aircraft.
- China claims Taiwan as part of its territory and opposes Taiwan’s state-to-state ties or other official international engagements.
- Lai ultimately traveled to Eswatini in early May and discussed cooperation including economic, agricultural, cultural and educational ties.
- Taiwan says it will not yield to pressure over such visits, while the dispute over whether Beijing directly caused the flight disruptions remains unresolved because China did not confirm Taiwan’s allegation.
Context
Why was Lai’s trip to Eswatini delayed?
Taiwan said the original April trip was disrupted after Seychelles, Mauritius and Madagascar revoked or denied overflight permissions for Lai’s plane under Chinese pressure, forcing a postponement and later rerouting Yahoo News,NBC News,Reuters.
Why does this trip matter diplomatically?
Eswatini is Taiwan’s only formal diplomatic partner in Africa, and Beijing opposes official exchanges that treat Taiwan as a separate state, so even a bilateral visit highlights the contest over Taiwan’s international space Reuters,Deutsche Welle,CNA.
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