On May 5, President Lai Ching-te returned to Taiwan after a surprise visit to Eswatini, Taiwan’s only diplomatic ally in Africa. His trip was a surprise after a month that had seen China pressure Taiwan’s diplomatic space on the African continent multiple times. 

Lai had planned to visit Eswatini at the end of April to attend celebrations marking King Mswati III’s 40th year on the throne and 58th birthday. However, that trip was abruptly canceled after Madagascar, Mauritius, and the Seychelles retracted overflight permission for Lai’s plane to pass through their airspace. Politicians with the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) stated that overflight permissions had been revoked with only 12 hours’ notice, despite having originally been approved weeks in advance. 

As such, Lai’s arrival in Eswatini this week was a surprise. Taiwan’s president only announced that he had arrived in Eswatini after touching down in the country on May 2. 

The secrecy may have been a bid to avoid giving China a chance to intervene. According to the Taiwanese government, China exerted economic pressure on Madagascar, Mauritius, and the Seychelles to retract overflight permission. Specifically, Taiwanese authorities claim that the Chinese government threatened to cancel debt relief to the three countries if they did not retract overflight permission for Lai’s plane.

The Eswatini visit is Lai’s second overseas trip. Though Taiwanese leaders often make stops in the United States during travel to visit diplomatic allies – in what are termed temporary stopovers rather than formal diplomatic visits, in the absence of formal relations – this was not planned for Lai’s Eswatini trip. Notably, in August 2025 Lai canceled a previously planned tour of Taiwan’s Latin American allies, reportedly after the Trump administration indicated it would not support a stopover visit.

In response to the cancellation of Lai’s original plans to visit Eswatini, the United States and the European Union raised concerns. It is to be seen if China more frequently adopts the tactic of pressuring countries into cancelling overflight permissions when a Taiwanese political leader is set to travel abroad. Reports indicate that both Germany and Czechia had denied transit requests by Lai after his overlight privileges were blocked by Madagascar, Mauritius, and the Seychelles.

After Lai was forced to scrap his original travel plans, Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung was sent to Eswatini, while Lai spoke at King Mswati III’s birthday celebration through a pre-recorded message. In retrospect, it may not have been that Lin traveled to Eswatini in Lai’s stead, but in order to prepare for his arrival. Similarly, Eswatini Deputy Prime Minister Thulisile Dladla was dispatched to Taiwan after the cancellation of Lai’s visit. 

Lai eventually traveled to Eswatini on board the personal plane of King Mswati III, which traveled to Taiwan for Lai to board. The airplane previously belonged to Taiwan’s China Airlines.

Lai framed his trip to Eswatini as not a diplomatic breakthrough, but instead an assertion of a right that heads of state have – to be able to engage normally in bilateral relations. Lai vowed that Taiwan would not bend in the face of Chinese pressure. 

Lai touted relations between Taiwan and Eswatini, reaffirming ties. He made several symbolic gifts to King Mswati III, including gifts of cattle – in line with local custom – as well as various items representing Taiwan, including a model of an Indigenous fishing boat used by the Tao people of Orchid Island, and a tea set with a design featuring Taipei 101, Taiwan’s tallest skyscraper. 

While in Eswatini, Lai visited sites of Taiwanese-funded infrastructure projects. This included the site of Taiwan Industrial Innovation Park, which is currently built, as well as the Strategic Oil Reserve project, intended to ensure that Eswatini has a 60-day supply of oil. Lai also signed an agreement with King Mswati III over customs assistance. 

After the visit, Lai returned the same way he came, on King Mswati III’s personal plane. He was escorted by four F-16s during his return trip. 

Given Taiwan’s highly partisan political environment, it may not be surprising to note that Lai’s trip became contested between the Kuomintang (KMT) and DPP. When Lai’s trip was cancelled, KMT party chair Cheng Li-wun criticized the president for failing to maintain Taiwan’s diplomatic status in the world, suggesting that this was a result of Lai refusing to accept the 1992 Consensus. However, some in the KMT criticized China’s actions, perhaps hoping to strike a more moderate note. Cheng has been making international waves because of her perceived pro-China stance, including a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping last month.

Other deep Blue political figures echoed Cheng’s criticisms after Lai’s arrival in Eswatini. Former KMT chair Hung Hsiu-chu suggested that Lai had disgraced Taiwan by secretly traveling in a manner unbecoming of a head of state. Hung suggested that Lai would have difficulties returning and that he might as well stay in Eswatini. Cheng argued that Lai’s trip showed a lack of consideration of long-term solutions for Taiwan’s diplomatic isolation and that Lai was instead focused on pursuing personal achievements. 

The framing of Lai’s trip as disgraceful due to its secretive nature was echoed by China, with state media referring to Lai as a “rat” and suggesting that his trip had been costly and at the public expense. 

For its part, the DPP has sought to emphasize in its messaging that announcing arrivals after the fact is a common practice for world leaders, though it more commonly takes place for visits to conflict zones. The DPP has also emphasized China’s undue interference in what should have been a routine affair: travel by a head of state to visit a foreign partner.

Lai’s sudden trip to Eswatini is probably one of the more unexpected diplomatic events of his presidency to date. When news began to report about Lai’s return trip, 3,500 people watched Lai’s flight in real-time on the flight tracking website FlightRadar24, making it the most-watched flight on the website at the time.  

Even as the DPP and KMT continue to argue about Lai’s trip, there was little discussion in Taiwan about Eswatini’s domestic politics. King Mswati III is an absolute monarch. Eswatini’s Constitution was voided in 1973, and political parties banned. Although Eswatini has a parliament, this is an advisory role that does not hold power; the king controls the military and appoints the Cabinet, prime minister, and judges. 

While protests broke out in 2021 calling for the right to a free vote, the demonstrations were repressed by force. Opposition politicians have been forced into exile or killed, with one notable case being that of opposition politician Thulani Maseko. Maseko was killed by gunmen in a shooting widely suspected of being ordered by the monarchy, seeing as this took place shortly after comments by King Mswati III warning against dissent. 

Maseko’s widow, human rights defender Tanele Maseko, visited Taiwan in 2023, stating in an interview that she viewed it as hypocritical for Taiwan to seek support from other countries against China by touting its democratic credentials, while backing an authoritarian regime and dictator in Eswatini. Tanele Maseko said that she hoped to see Taiwanese stand in solidarity with the people of Eswatini, rather than their authoritarian government. 

Eswatini’s authoritarian present has echoes of Taiwan’s past, particularly with regard to the DPP’s origins in a dissident opposition that sought to contest the one-party state ruled over by the KMT. And yet there has been little acknowledgement of Eswatini’s questionable human rights record in Taiwanese discussions about its relationship to the country. This blind spot is common in Taiwan’s formal diplomatic allies, many of which are states with questionable human rights records whose links with Taiwan date back to the period of KMT rule.