Taiwan President William Lai Ching-te said his government will never give up engaging with the world as he arrived in Eswatini on Saturday, despite China's efforts to block the trip.

Lai arrived in the kingdom after what he described in a Facebook post as “meticulous arrangements made by our diplomatic and national security teams,” though it remains unclear how he traveled to Eswatini.

He said he was greeted with a “military-style welcoming ceremony” and met with King Mswati III, signing trade agreements. The trip was originally scheduled for late April but was delayed after Seychelles, Mauritius, and Madagascar cancelled flight permits for his charter plane without notice.

Taiwan's presidential office alleged the cancellations resulted from heavy pressure by Beijing, including economic coercion, calling the move “without precedent in the international community.” China claims Taiwan as part of its territory and insists countries halt engagements with the island's government.

A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson dismissed the visit as a “laughable stunt,” accusing Lai of using a foreign plane to “smuggle” himself out of the island, reiterating that Taiwan is part of China.

China has long pressured nations to sever formal ties with Taipei, leaving Taiwan with only 12 diplomatic allies, including Belize, Guatemala, Haiti, and the Vatican. The United States does not recognize Taiwan but has pledged to help Taipei defend itself under the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act.

Eswatini is the only African country that still recognizes Taiwan. Lai thanked the king for standing with Taiwan “undeterred by various diplomatic and economic pressures” and stressed that no country has the right to prevent Taiwan from contributing to the world.

Source: www.aljazeera.com