Eswatini in southern Africa is one of just 12 small states, mostly in Latin America, the ​Caribbean and the Pacific, that have diplomatic relations with Taiwan. Maintaining ties with them is a ​priority for the government of the democratically ruled island, which China views as part ⁠of its own territory.

Last month, Lai postponed a visit to attend the 40th anniversary of King ​Mswati III’s accession, with Taiwan saying the Seychelles, Mauritius and Madagascar had unilaterally revoked flight permits for Lai’s aircraft to cross airspace they ​manage because of Chinese pressure.

That was the first time a Taiwan President had cancelled an entire foreign trip due to the denial of airspace access, representing what appeared to be a new Chinese strategy to curb the island’s international engagement.
In posts on his Facebook and ​X accounts, Lai said he had arrived in Eswatini on Saturday on a trip not previously announced ​by either government.

“Taiwan will never be deterred by external pressures. Our resolve & commitment are underpinned by the understanding that Taiwan ‌will ⁠continue to engage with the world, no matter the challenges faced,” Lai wrote in English on X.

Neither his posts nor a statement from his office on the trip mentioned how he had gotten there, though he showed a picture of himself stepping off what looked like an Eswatini government jet, which this ​week brought Deputy Prime Minister ​Thulisile Dladla to Taipei.

China’s ⁠Foreign Ministry said Lai had “secretly slipped aboard a foreign aircraft and sneaked out of Taiwan, lavishly squandering public funds”.

“No matter how the Democratic Progressive Party authorities ​collude with external forces or in what form they ‘buy the loyalty of ​others,’ it is ⁠all a futile effort that cannot change the fact that Taiwan is part of China,” it said in a statement referring to Lai’s party.

–Reuters–