Taiwan’s president lands in Eswatini despite curbs

Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te said he arrived in the African nation of Eswatini on Saturday, days after his government was forced to push back the trip when several countries withdrew permission for him to fly over their territories, reportedly over Chinese pressure.

In a post on X, Lai said he arrived in Eswatini - Taiwan's only diplomatically in Africa — to “affirm our longstanding friendship”. He said that Taiwan, a self-ruled democracy that China considers part of its territory, “will never be deterred by external pressures”.

Lai was originally scheduled to visit the southern African country from April 22, but Taiwanese officials said flight permits were revoked by Seychelles, Mauritius and Madagascar over “strong pressure from the Chinese authorities, including economic coercion”.