Lai Ching-te, president of Taiwan, is set to visit Eswatini next week, marking a significant diplomatic engagement with the island’s only remaining ally in Africa.
Lai will be in Eswatini from April 22 to 26, according to his spokesperson Karen Kuo, to attend celebrations marking the 40th anniversary of King Mswati III’s accession to the throne and his 58th birthday.
The visit underscores Taiwan’s shrinking pool of diplomatic allies, with the self-governed island maintaining formal ties with just 12 countries, mostly smaller nations in Latin America, the Caribbean and the Pacific, including Belize and Tuvalu.
China considers Taiwan part of its territory and opposes any official state-to-state relations between Taipei and other countries.
Unlike visits to Latin America, which often require transit through the United States and trigger strong objections from Beijing, Lai’s trip to Eswatini will be direct, avoiding stopovers.
This will be Lai’s first overseas visit since November 2024, when he travelled to the Marshall Islands, Tuvalu and Palau, with transit stops in Hawaii and the US territory of Guam.
The last visit by a Taiwanese president to Eswatini was in 2023, when Tsai Ing-wen made the trip.
Eswatini, a southern African kingdom almost entirely surrounded by South Africa, has maintained close ties with Taiwan, benefiting from economic and medical support, including antiviral medication provided in 2021 to aid the monarch’s recovery from COVID.
The visit highlights Taipei’s continued efforts to sustain diplomatic relationships in the face of growing international pressure from Beijing.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
