Military Space News
TAIWAN NEWS
Taiwan leader makes delayed visit to Eswatini after China objections

Taiwan leader makes delayed visit to Eswatini after China objections

by AFP Staff Writers
Mbabane, Eswatini (AFP) May 2, 2026
Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te on Saturday announced his arrival in Eswatini -- Taipei's only diplomatic ally in Africa -- after an earlier trip was cancelled when several countries revoked overflight permits.

Those various African nations withdrew overflight permission following "intense pressure" from Beijing, one of Lai's closest advisers said at the time, forcing cancellation of the initially scheduled April 22-26 trip.

Lai on Saturday said only that his initial visit had been "suspended due to unexpected external forces".

But "after days of secret arrangements by the diplomatic and national security teams, we arrived successfully today (Saturday)," he said in a Facebook post.

"I hope this trip will contribute to even deeper friendship between Taiwan and Eswatini, thanks to closer economic, agricultural, cultural and educational links, as well as promote Taiwan's international cooperation," he added.

"The 23 million Taiwanese people have the right to embrace the world and engage with the world," Lai said in a speech before the Eswatini royal family and assembled dignitaries.

"And no country has the right and no country should ever block Taiwan from contributing more to the world," he added.

Earlier Saturday, China's foreign ministry accused Lai of making a "stowaway-style escape farce" that made him "an international laughing stock".

"No matter how the DPP authorities collude with external forces ... it is all in vain and cannot change the fact that Taiwan is part of China," an unnamed spokesperson said in a statement on the ministry's website, referring to Lai's party.

"We urge Eswatini and other individual countries to see clearly the general trend of history ... and not pull chestnuts out of the fire for a handful of 'Taiwan independence' separatists," the statement said.

Eswatini, a small enclave kingdom formerly known as Swaziland, is one of 12 countries that still recognise Taiwan. China has persuaded other nations to break diplomatic ties with the self-ruled island, which it claims as part of its territory.

Lai was due in Eswatini in April for the 40th anniversary of King Mswati III's accession to the throne, but cancelled the visit after the Seychelles, Mauritius and Madagascar revoked overflight permissions, "unexpectedly and without notice", according to his office.

Related Links
Taiwan News at SinoDaily.com

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
TAIWAN NEWS
China slams Taiwan PM visit to Japan
Tokyo (AFP) Mar 9, 2026
China slammed a weekend visit by Taiwan's Premier Cho Jung-tai to Tokyo in which he watched a baseball game, even as Japan said Monday he had no contact with government officials. Cho's trip was the first to Japan by a sitting Taiwanese premier since 1972, except for a typhoon-enforced stopover by Yu Shyi-kun in 2004, Japan's foreign ministry told AFP. The trip follows a sharp deterioration in Japan-China relations. Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said Cho had "evil intentions, ... read more

TAIWAN NEWS
NATO intercepts second Iran missile in Turkish airspace

Japan to deploy counter-strike missiles closer to China

Italy to send air-defence aid to Gulf countries; France allowing US aircraft on some Mideast bases

TAIWAN NEWS
Turkey says missile launched from Iran destroyed by NATO

Hypersonica completes milestone hypersonic missile flight test in Norway

TAIWAN NEWS
ThinKom Develops Self-Funded Mobile HPM Weapon to Counter Drone Swarms

Reliable Robotics Pursues FAA Certification for Network-Agnostic UAS Datalink System

China Moves To Convert Underused Airspace Into A New Industrial Growth Engine

Hawk shape shifting in flight may guide future drone control

TAIWAN NEWS
CACI Wins 231 Million Dollar Task Order for Tactical Satellite Communications to US Special Operations Command

MTN to deliver secure SpaceX government satcom for defense customers

EU brings secure GOVSATCOM hub online under GMV leadership

TAIWAN NEWS
New electrolyte design aims to make giant flow batteries safer

Aitech and Teledyne expand partnership on space grade SP1 computing platform

Gilat wins 9 million dollar MOD deal for secure defense satcom

Norway buys French bombs for Ukraine: ministry

TAIWAN NEWS
Anthropic takes Trump administration to court over Pentagon row

Global arms exports soar on European demand: study

China boosts military spending with eyes on US, Taiwan

BAE Systems posts record order backlog as defence spending rises

TAIWAN NEWS
China says opposes any targeting of new Iran leader

Four years after banning Russia, FIFA and IOC passive in the face of war

Elevation of Mojtaba Khamenei suggests ultraconservatives steering Iran

Mojtaba Khamenei: son and successor to Iran's supreme leader

TAIWAN NEWS
Ultra-Thin Dual-Mode Shielding Film Blocks Electromagnetic Waves and Neutron Radiation Simultaneously

LMU Munich Solves Two Key Barriers Blocking Perovskite Quantum Dots From Real-World Use

Ultrafast thermal detector pushes gigahertz performance frontier

Carbon fibers bend and straighten under electric control

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2026 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.