By Yi-Chin Lee and Ben Blanchard
TAIPEI, Oct 9 (Reuters) – Eswatini’s king pledged on Friday to strengthen his country’s “enduring friendship” with Taiwan, during a return visit to Taipei after President Lai Ching-te’s trip to the southern African nation in May that China tried to block.
King Mswati III is set to attend Taiwan’s national day celebrations on Saturday. The former Swaziland is one of just 12 small states, mostly in Latin America, the Caribbean and the Pacific, that have diplomatic relations with Taiwan.
Maintaining ties with them is a priority for the government of the democratically ruled island, which China views as part of its own territory.
In April, Taiwan accused China of pressuring three other African countries to block overflight permission for Lai’s aircraft, causing him to postpone a plan to join celebrations of the 40th anniversary of the king’s accession.
Lai then made a surprise trip in May, using an “arrive, then announce” approach more commonly followed by foreign leaders visiting war-torn countries, such as Ukraine.
The monarch said Eswatini would continue to advocate for Taiwan’s meaningful participation in the United Nations, to which it does not belong due to Beijing’s objections.
“We deeply value the enduring friendship and cooperation between our two countries, and we look forward to strengthening these bonds for the benefit of our peoples,” the king told a welcome ceremony on Taipei’s Liberty Square.
Lai said the two sides had always collaborated from a position of trust and were partners who “support each other and grow together”.
CHINA SAYS KING INTERFERING
Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said the king was interfering in China’s internal affairs and “ignoring the long-term interests of his people”.
She added, “We advise the Eswatini side to recognise its mistakes and return to the right path as soon as possible.”
April’s incident was the first time a Taiwan president had cancelled an entire foreign trip due to denial of airspace access, an apparent new Chinese strategy to curb the island’s international ties.
The United States, European Union and Britain all expressed concern at the time.
Lai’s return flight to Taipei in May, on the king’s private A-340, took a route skirting airspace controlled by Mauritius and Madagascar, two of the nations Taiwan said were pressured by China to deny him airspace access.
In May, China condemned Eswatini’s leaders for being “kept and fed” by Taiwan.
(Reporting by Yi-Chin Lee and Ben Blanchard; Additional reporting by Laurie Chen in Beijing; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
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