The Chinese government has described the visit by Taiwan\u2019s leader Lai\nChing-te to Eswatini, a country in Africa, as an act of \u201csneaking in\u201d\nand a failure to respect the sovereignty of the nations it passed\nthrough.<\/p>\n
\u201cLai Ching-te sneaked onto a foreign aircraft and deceived himself to\nenter Eswatini by hiding passenger information from that country. On his\nreturn flight, after the use of airspace was rejected by the relevant\ncountries, Lai sneaked back onto the plane and forced his way through\nthe airspace of those countries,\u201d said spokesperson for China\u2019s Ministry\nof Foreign Affairs Lin Jian during a press conference in Beijing on\nWednesday.<\/p>\n
Taiwan\u2019s leader Lai Ching-te visited Eswatini, the only country in\nAfrica that recognises Taiwan, from 2 to 4 May 2026.<\/p>\n
Lai\u2019s trip was originally scheduled for 22-26 April to mark the 40th\nanniversary of the ascension to the throne of Eswatini\u2019s King Mswati\nIII. The trip was postponed after Taiwan stated that Seychelles,\nMauritius, and Madagascar unilaterally revoked flight permissions for\nLai\u2019s aircraft to cross their airspace.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe entire incident shows the world how little Lai respects the\nairspace and sovereignty of the relevant countries and cares about world\nopinion. What he did is very dangerous and outrageous,\u201d added Lin\nJian.<\/p>\n
The fact that Lai smuggled himself in and out of the country, said\nLin Jian, clearly shows that the separatism of \u201cTaiwan independence\u201d is\nmerely a shady business that is unacceptable to the international\ncommunity.<\/p>\n
\u201cHis actions are nothing more than a shameful act,\u201d Lin Jian\nstated.<\/p>\n
\u201cChina strongly condemns it. Politicians in those countries need to\nmake wise decisions and stop taking further steps down the path that is\nclearly wrong,\u201d added Lin Jian.<\/p>\n
He emphasised that there is only one China in the world and Taiwan is\nan inalienable part of China\u2019s territory.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe \u2018One China\u2019 principle is an international consensus with strong\nand unshakable support. Efforts to achieve \u2018Taiwan independence\u2019 are a\ndead end because every new attempt by Lai Ching-te to advance his\nseparatist agenda will only further restrict himself,\u201d Lin Jian asserted\nfirmly.<\/p>\n
Regarding the countries passed through during Lai Ching-te\u2019s return\nto Taiwan, such as Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Brunei, and\nAustralia, Lin Jian said that a country\u2019s airspace is part of that\ncountry\u2019s sovereignty.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe relevant countries, in upholding the \u2018One China\u2019 principle, have\nrefused to issue flight permits for Lai Ching-te\u2019s visit. This action is\nfully in accordance with international law and basic norms in\ninternational relations, and fully proves that the \u2018One China\u2019 principle\nis the direction of history and that the separatist movement for \u2018Taiwan\nindependence\u2019 has no support,\u201d Lin Jian explained.<\/p>\n
Lai is known to have met Eswatini\u2019s Prime Minister Russell Dlamini,\nQueen Ntombi Tfwala, and King Mswati III in the country.<\/p>\n
Lai also visited the site of the planned Taiwan Industrial Innovation\nPark (TIIP) project, aimed at helping Taiwanese businesses expand\nglobally, connect with the African market, and create local jobs. In\naddition, Lai visited the Taiwan-funded International Convention Centre\n(ICC).<\/p>\n
He expressed hope that more private Taiwanese companies would invest\nin Eswatini, in line with Taiwan\u2019s efforts to deepen bilateral economic\nand trade cooperation, according to Taiwan\u2019s government office.<\/p>\n
Taiwan also hopes to work with Eswatini to explore the broader\nAfrican market and create greater economic value.<\/p>\n
In 2023, Tsai Ing-wen was the last former Taiwanese leader to visit\nEswatini, a small landlocked country with a population of around 1.2\nmillion people.<\/p>\n
Eswatini, previously known as Swaziland, is one of only 12 small\ncountries that have diplomatic relations with Taiwan.<\/p>\n
Currently, there are only 12 countries that have diplomatic relations\nwith Taiwan: Belize, Guatemala, Paraguay, Haiti, Saint Kitts and Nevis,\nSaint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Marshall Islands, Palau,\nTuvalu, Eswatini, and the Vatican.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/china-labels-lai-ching-tes-visit-to-eswatini-as-sneaking-in-1778162124", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }