By Fabian Hamacher and Ann Wang
TAOYUAN, Taiwan, May 5 (Reuters) – President Lai Ching-te arrived home on Tuesday from Eswatini saying Taiwan would not give in to pressure, having taken a circuitous route over the southern part of the Indian Ocean to skirt airspace controlled by close friends of China.
China views democratically governed Taiwan as part of its territory with no right to state-to-state ties, a position Taiwan’s government strongly disputes, and Beijing has demanded countries stop any engagements with the island.
Lai’s government said China had forced three Indian Ocean states – the Seychelles, Mauritius and Madagascar – to deny overflight permission for his aircraft when he had planned to originally go last month, for celebrations for the 40th anniversary of the accession of King Mswati III.
Lai arrived in the former Swaziland, one of just 12 countries with formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan, on Saturday, on a trip neither government had announced in advance and in defiance of Beijing’s anger, having taken the king’s private A340, previously operated by Taiwan’s China Airlines.
“The world belongs to everyone. Taiwan belongs to the world. Taiwanese people are citizens of the world. Taiwanese people have the right to engage with the world. We will not retreat in the face of suppression,” Lai said upon arrival at Taiwan’s main international airport at Taoyuan, outside of Taipei.
“The fact that this trip was obstructed at one point only made the world see Taiwan’s people’s firm determination and will to engage with the world,” he added.
CHINA LIKENED LAI TO A ‘RAT’
There was no immediate response from the Chinese government, which last week likened Lai to a “rat” for his “skulking” visit to Eswatini.
Lai’s aircraft, the same A340, left Eswatini on Monday for Taiwan, taking a long route over the bottom part of the Indian Ocean, skirting the flight information regions of Mauritius and Madagascar, which both have deep economic and diplomatic ties with Beijing.
Then aircraft then flew over Australia’s Christmas Island, Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei and the Philippines, before entering Taiwan air space for arrival into Taoyuan, according to flight tracking apps.
Indonesia’s foreign ministry said it considered the Eswatini aircraft flew “in accordance with its right of overflight under international law”.
Taiwan F-16 fighter jets accompanied the aircraft as it arrived back, according to pictures provided by Lai’s office.
Lai was accompanied on his flight by Eswatini Deputy Prime Minister Thulisile Dladla, whom he said had ensured he and his delegation travelled safely to and from Eswatini. Dladla had been in Taipei only last week as the king’s special envoy.
“This visit is not merely exercising diplomacy rights between states in order to foster friendly relations, it is also a demonstration of Taiwan’s will to uphold international order with all like‑minded countries,” Lai said.
China has ramped up its efforts to squeeze Taiwan’s international space, saying Lai is a “separatist” and the island merely a Chinese province with no right to the trappings of a state. Lai rejects Beijing’s sovereignty claims, saying Taiwan has a right to engage with the world.
Taiwan is a “trusted and capable” partner of the United States and Taipei’s global relationships, including with Eswatini, provide significant benefits, the U.S. State Department said of Lai’s trip to Eswatini.
Prior to going to Africa, Lai’s last international trip was a tour of the Pacific, including stopovers in Hawaii and the U.S. territory of Guam, in late 2024.
(Reporting by Fabian Hamacher and Ann Wang; Writing by Ben Blanchard; Additional reporting by Gibran Peshimam in Jakarta; Editing by Christian Schmollinger, Raju Gopalakrishnan and Christopher Cushing)
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