The president of Taiwan is set to visit Eswatini, the final diplomatic ally in Africa
Taiwan President Lai Ching-te is set to visit Eswatini next week, according to an announcement from his office on Monday. Eswatini is the island’s last remaining diplomatic ally in Africa.
Taiwan, claimed by China as its territory with no entitlement to state-to-state relations, currently maintains formal ties with just 12 countries, predominantly small, less-developed nations in Latin America, the Caribbean, and the Pacific, such as Belize and Tuvalu.
Lai will visit Eswatini from April 22-26, as confirmed by his spokesperson Karen Kuo to reporters, to commemorate the 40th anniversary of King Mswati III’s accession and his 58th birthday.
Lai is flying directly to Eswatini, which is almost entirely surrounded by South Africa, and it does not require a layover. This contrasts with visits to Latin America, which necessitate transits through the United States, often causing frustration for China due to the additional travel time and logistical challenges involved in such layovers.
This will mark Lai’s inaugural journey beyond Taiwan since November 2024, when he traveled to the Marshall Islands, Tuvalu, and Palau and made a transit through Hawaii and the U.S. territory of Guam.
The most recent visit by a Taiwanese president to Eswatini, previously referred to as Swaziland and with a population of approximately 1.3 million, occurred in 2023, when Tsai Ing-wen undertook the trip.
Taiwan has extended significant assistance to the small southern African nation, which is an absolute monarchy. In 2021, antiviral medication was sent to assist King Mswati III in his recovery from COVID.
