China Condemns Eswatini Over Taiwan Visit

China Condemns Eswatini Over Taiwan Visit Beijing, China – On Wednesday, May 6, China condemned Eswatini for hosting Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te, using strong diplomatic language to criticize the southern African kingdom. This condemnation follows President Lai's return on Tuesday from a surprise visit to Eswatini, one of Taiwan's 12 remaining diplomatic allies.

China's foreign ministry spokesperson, Lin Jian, stated that Eswatini's leaders were being "kept and fed" by Taiwan, describing Lai's trip as a "scandal and a farce." Beijing views Lai as a "separatist" and has previously pressured three Indian Ocean nations—the Seychelles, Mauritius, and Madagascar—to deny overflight permission for Lai's aircrasources during an earlier attempt to visit Eswatini last month. Lai ultimately traveled on King Mswati III's private A340 aircrasources for the recent visit.

Eswatini's acting government spokeswoman, Thabile Mdluli, responded by calling China's remarks "deeply unfortunate" and asserting that Eswatini's sovereign decisions should be respected. Taiwan's government, meanwhile, celebrated the successful visit, with President Lai emphasizing the deepening friendship between Taiwan and Eswatini despite China's "blockade and suppression."