Taiwan's president made an unexpected diplomatic visit to Eswatini (formerly Swaziland), one of the few nations maintaining formal diplomatic recognition of Taiwan. This visit represents an important political gesture to reinforce bilateral relations and Taiwan's international standing amid continued pressure from mainland China.

Beijing has labelled Taiwanese leader William Lai Ching-te’s surprise visit to eSwatini, the island’s sole African ally, a political “stunt”. In a Facebook post on Saturday evening, Lai said he arrived earlier in the day. The eSwatini government also confirmed his arrival on its own Facebook page.