US backs Lai after surprise Eswatini visit draws sharp rebuke from Beijing
Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te completed a surprise state visit to Eswatini, Taiwan's only remaining diplomatic ally on the African continent, after an earlier attempt was derailed when three Indian Ocean nations revoked overflight permissions for his chartered aircraft. Taipei described the move as Chinese economic coercion. The visit marked the 40th anniversary of King Mswati III's ascension to the throne and had originally been scheduled for April 22, before the Seychelles, Mauritius, and Madagascar abruptly withdrew clearance. Neither government officially disclosed the logistics behind Lai's eventual arrival, though local media reported he traveled aboard King Mswati III's private Airbus A340-313, departing directly from Taipei.
Upon landing, Lai was received with a military ceremony and held talks with King Mswati III, during which both leaders reaffirmed their bilateral ties. The visit's most substantive outcome was the signing of a mutual customs assistance agreement between Taiwanese Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung and Eswatini's Foreign Affairs Minister Pholile Shakantu, which entered into force immediately on May 2. Lai also toured flagship Taiwan-funded projects, including a strategic petroleum reserve facility and an industrial innovation park, describing both as central to Eswatini's energy security and to deepening bilateral cooperation. "The 23 million people of Taiwan have the right to engage on the international stage, and no country has the right — nor should attempt — to prevent Taiwan from contributing to the world," Lai said during the visit.
Beijing responded sharply. China's Taiwan Affairs Office described Lai's conduct in dismissive terms, calling him a figure who "will inevitably become a laughingstock of the international community," while the Chinese Foreign Ministry maintained that the covert visit changed nothing regarding its position that Taiwan is part of China. In what analysts widely interpreted as an act of economic retaliation, Beijing's expanded zero-tariff policy for African nations — which took effect May 1 and covers all 53 countries on the continent with which China maintains diplomatic ties — pointedly excluded Eswatini, the sole African state that recognizes Taipei. The policy, framed by Beijing as the first unilateral zero-tariff offer extended by a major economy to Africa, was presented in deliberate contrast to American tariffs on certain African goods, underscoring the geopolitical dimensions of the announcement.
Washington rejected Beijing's framing. A State Department spokesperson described Taiwan as a "reliable and capable partner" and characterized Lai's journey as "ordinary," noting that every democratically elected Taiwanese president had visited countries with which Taiwan maintains formal diplomatic relations. The American statement signals continued backing for Taipei's international engagement at a moment when Beijing is intensifying pressure on the island's dwindling circle of formal allies, using both diplomatic and economic leverage to narrow Taiwan's global footprint.
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