Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te made an unannounced visit to Eswatini on Saturday, following his administration’s claims that Chinese influence forced the postponement of a diplomatic trip originally scheduled for last month.
Beijing considers the democratically-ruled island of Taiwan to be Chinese territory without the authority to establish nation-to-nation relationships, a stance that Taiwan’s leadership firmly rejects.
Through the years, China has gradually reduced the number of nations that recognize Taiwan diplomatically.
Here are the dozen countries that continue to maintain official diplomatic relationships with Taiwan:
LATIN AMERICA AND CARIBBEAN REGION
Belize
Guatemala
Paraguay
Haiti
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Saint Lucia
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
PACIFIC REGION
Marshall Islands
Palau
Tuvalu
AFRICA
Eswatini
EUROPE
Vatican City
