Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te is scheduled to make a diplomatic journey to Eswatini next week, according to an announcement from his office on Monday. The small African kingdom represents Taiwan’s only remaining formal diplomatic relationship on the continent.
The island nation now maintains official diplomatic ties with just 12 countries worldwide, primarily smaller, developing nations across Latin America, the Caribbean, and Pacific regions, including countries like Belize and Tuvalu. China considers Taiwan part of its territory and opposes any nation-to-nation diplomatic relationships involving the island.
According to spokesperson Karen Kuo, Lai’s visit will run from April 22-26 and will coincide with celebrations marking King Mswati III’s 40th year on the throne as well as the monarch’s 58th birthday festivities.
The president will fly directly to the landlocked nation, which sits almost completely within South Africa’s borders, eliminating the need for stopovers that typically complicate Taiwan’s diplomatic travel. This differs from visits to Latin American allies, which require transit through the United States and consistently provoke anger from Chinese officials.
This marks Lai’s first international travel since November 2024, when he made stops in the Marshall Islands, Tuvalu, and Palau, with transit stops in Hawaii and the U.S. territory of Guam.
The previous Taiwanese presidential visit to Eswatini occurred in 2023, when then-President Tsai Ing-wen made the trip. The nation, previously called Swaziland, has a population of approximately 1.3 million people.
Taiwan has provided substantial financial assistance to the absolute monarchy in southern Africa. In 2021, the island nation delivered antiviral treatments to help King Mswati III during his battle with COVID-19.
