Lai Ching-te Defends Taiwan Sovereignty via Video at Eswatini Gala; In-Person Visit Cancelled After China Pressures African Nations to Revoke Overflight Permits

Taiwan President Lai Ching-te delivered a video address to a diplomatic gala in Eswatini (formerly Swaziland) on April 27, 2026, defending Taiwan's sovereignty and affirming the rights of Taiwan's 23 million people to engage globally — after his planned in-person visit was cancelled when regional African nations revoked overflight permits under Chinese diplomatic pressure. Taiwan's Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung attended the event in person, condemning Beijing's pressure campaign on African countries that forced the route change, and vowing Taiwan would not 'bow its head.' Eswatini is one of Taiwan's 12 remaining formal diplomatic allies as of 2026 (down from 30+ in 2000) and the only one in Africa with full diplomatic relations with the Republic of China. Beijing's successful effort to deny Lai overflight rights follows its pattern of blocking Taiwan presidents from conducting normal diplomatic transit visits — part of China's ongoing campaign to reduce Taiwan's international space and delegitimize its government. The incident highlights the growing effectiveness of China's diplomatic isolation campaign: Lai's Africa state visit, which would have included multiple ally nations, was significantly curtailed. Taiwan's Foreign Ministry stated it will not allow intimidation to halt its diplomatic engagement, and vowed continued deepening of ties with the remaining 12 formal allies.