Taiwan and Eswatini: Africa's Last Diplomatic Lifeline Hanging on One Person

30-Second Overview: Eswatini (renamed from "Swaziland" in 2018) is Taiwan's only remaining allied nation in Africa. It established diplomatic relations with the Republic of China in September 1968, marking 58 years in 2026. King Mswati III was born in April 1968, and five months later, the nation gained independence and established diplomatic relations with Taiwan on the same day. His life almost entirely overlaps with the history of Taiwan-Eswatini diplomatic relations. As of 2024, he has visited Taiwan more than 17 times¹. After Nauru broke relations in January 2024, Eswatini became Taiwan's sole allied nation in Africa². On May 2, 2026, Lai Ching-te's first visit to an allied nation after taking office was originally scheduled for April 22. However, on April 21, Seychelles, Mauritius, and Madagascar unexpectedly revoked flight permits under pressure from China, creating an "aerial blockade." Mswati subsequently dispatched Eswatini's Airbus A340 royal jet to send his Deputy Prime Minister, Thulisile Dladla, to Taipei to pick up Lai. Lai Ching-te flew directly from Taipei to Mbabane on May 2³. On May 1 of the same year, China granted zero-tariff treatment for 98% of tariff items to 53 African countries, deliberately excluding Eswatini⁴. The biggest variable in this diplomatic lifeline is whether the successor after Mswati can persuade a generation with 56% youth unemployment to continue viewing Taiwan as a friend (a question more difficult to answer than "how much money China uses").

The President Borrows a Plane

Hey, did you know that at 9:00 AM on May 2, 2026, Lai Ching-te stepped off an Airbus A340 chartered from Eswatini's King Mswati III and landed at Mbabane Airport³.

This A340-313 is not Taiwan's aircraft. It is a royal jet owned by the Eswatini royal family. The originally scheduled departure for Lai Ching-te's visit was April 22 from Taipei, but on April 21, the trip was紧急 called off. Seychelles, Mauritius, and Madagascar simultaneously and unexpectedly revoked the flight permits for the royal jet. Analysis points directly to China pressuring these three African island nations with economic coercion, resulting in an "aerial blockade"⁵.

Mswati's move was decisive: He sent his Deputy Prime Minister, Thulisile Dladla, on the royal jet from Mbabane to Taipei. On the early morning of May 2, they picked up Lai Ching-te in Taipei and flew back to Eswatini, arriving at 9:00 AM that same morning.

"King Eswatini lends a plane to the Taiwanese President to break through China's blockade" is the essence of this visit itself. The Wall Street Journal characterized it as a "surprise visit," while Al Jazeera's headline read "despite China's attempts to block trip"⁶. CNA also recorded the process of arriving in Eswatini on a royal jet on its official channel.

On May 2, 2026, Lai Ching-te received military honors at Mbabane Airport in Eswatini. Photo: Office of the President, Republic of China. OGDL via Official Press Release.

The arrival scene was simple but heavy with significance: Prime Minister Russell Dlamini, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Pholile Shakantu, Taiwan's Ambassador to Eswatini, Jeremy H.S. Liang, and Eswatini's Chief of Protocol, Khandlela Mdluli, personally received him. Lai Ching-te received military honors and exchanged greetings one by one with the staff of the Eswatini Embassy and families of the Taiwanese technical teams⁷. CNA's official channel recorded the full process of President Lai Ching-te arriving in the Kingdom of Eswatini for a state visit.

The political subtext of this airport scene is connected to another September in 1968.

Synchronization of a Birth Year

Mswati III, born Makhosetive Dlamini, was born on April 19, 1968, in Swaziland, which was then a British protectorate. Five months later—on September 6—Swaziland gained independence and in the same year established diplomatic relations with the Republic of China¹⁸.

In other words, this 58-year-old king's entire life almost completely overlaps with the history of Taiwan-Eswatini diplomatic relations. When he was born, there was no relationship with Taiwan; when he became aware, this relationship already existed; and after he ascended the throne (on April 25, 1986, at the age of 18 years and 6 days, he was the world's youngest reigning monarch⁹), he became the personified agent of this relationship.

The density of visits to Taiwan is also astonishing. According to records from the Eswatini Embassy and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as of May 2024, Mswati III has visited Taiwan more than 17 times¹. October 1989, October 1997, October 1998, May 2000, July 2001, May 2004, June 2006, September 2007, May 2008, July 2010, October 2012, May 2013, May 2015, May 2016, June 2018, October 2022, May 2024—averaging once every two years. No other foreign leader visits Taiwan with such frequency in the world.

Professor Yang Hao of the Institute of East Asian Studies at National Chengchi University pointed out the key in an interview with BBC Chinese: "Precisely because the King himself holds real power, as long as he is willing to maintain diplomatic relations, there will not be too much noise domestically."¹⁰

In other words, Taiwan's last diplomatic lifeline in Africa hangs on one person. This is both its stability and its fragility.

Deliberately Skipping Eswatini

On May 1, 2026—one day before Lai Ching-te's visit to Eswatini—China announced zero-tariff treatment for 98% of tariff items for 53 African countries. Eswatini was the only one excluded⁴¹¹.

This is "deliberately skipping."

Among the 53 countries, missing one is mathematically just 52/53, but politically it is a naked declaration: "Standing with Taiwan means bearing the cost of isolation." Feng News cited BBC Chinese's analysis to plainly point out this operational logic¹¹. BBC News Chinese official channel also provided in-depth analysis of the cross-strait power struggle behind Lai Ching-te's visit to Eswatini.

China's history of poaching allies is not limited to this tactic. Over the past 30 years, 10 African nations have switched from Taiwan to Beijing. The last two were São Tomé and Príncipe (2016) and Burkina Faso (2018)¹². In the same month Burkina Faso broke relations, Tsai Ing-wen visited Eswatini for the first time, and Mswati publicly reiterated the commitment to diplomatic relations in a speech¹³. This was from April 17 to 20, 2018.

In 2023, a subsidiary of China's HydroChina Group won the bid for Eswatini's Pekisila Dam for $146 million. Feng News cited BBC Chinese's analysis, viewing this as an open test of "exchanging infrastructure for diplomatic relations"¹¹. Mswati did not waver.

But what is the real pressure behind the words "did not waver"? On January 15, 2024, Nauru—a small Pacific nation with a population of only about 10,000—announced breaking relations with Taiwan, primarily due to China's promise of long-term financial aid². This was three days after the Taiwanese presidential election, when Lai Ching-te had just been elected but not yet inaugurated. The moment Nauru broke relations, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs changed the number of allied nations from 13 to 12.

Eswatini became the last remaining piece of the puzzle in Africa.

Red-fleshed Guava Enters SUPERSPAR

At the opening of the press conference on May 3, Lai Ching-te used a fruit as a hook: "Red-fleshed guava witnesses the friendship between Taiwan and Eswatini."¹⁴

This guava is not just rhetoric.

The TaiwanICDF (International Cooperation and Development Foundation) Agricultural Technical Team stationed in Eswatini has been operating since 1969. It was initially an early experiment in Taiwan's agricultural technical diplomacy, now known as the "Taiwan-Africa Vegetables Initiative (TAVI)" and the "Emerging Fruit Tree Production and Marketing Guidance Plan"¹⁵. The specific work involves bringing Taiwanese fruit varieties (red-fleshed guava, dragon fruit, strawberries, papaya) and cultivation techniques to Eswatini, enabling local farmers to learn localized production.

In March 2024, red-fleshed guava of Taiwanese varieties officially entered the supply chains of SUPERSPAR, Eswatini's largest supermarket chain, in its Mbabane and Ezulwini branches¹⁵. It took 55 years for a fruit to go from a technical cooperation agreement (the first aid agreement in 1969¹) to supermarket shelves.

When Lai Ching-te visited Eswatini, he brought this guava to the press conference podium. He wanted to say that "cooperation looks like this": concrete, edible, and entering commercial channels.

The evolution of aid projects is easier to understand from this perspective. Technical cooperation in 1969 → Agricultural technical cooperation in 1984 → Medical cooperation memorandum in 2007 → Maternal and infant health in 2016 → Economic cooperation agreement (effective December 2018) → Women's economic empowerment MOU in 2019 → Women's entrepreneurship microcredit revolving fund in 2023 (personally signed by Tsai Ing-wen during her 2023 visit to Eswatini) → Customs mutual assistance agreement in 2026¹⁷. Each agreement is a profile of the themes of its era: the 1980s focused on agriculture, the 2000s entered healthcare, the 2010s focused on women's empowerment and economic/trade systems, and the 2020s pushed towards industrial innovation and supply chains.

This cooperative experience has slowly evolved alongside the circumstances of both countries, transcending the static level of "allied nation gifts."

The 27% Prevalence Rate

However, beyond agriculture and education, healthcare is the heaviest and most concrete aspect of this relationship.

Eswatini's adult (15-49 years old) HIV prevalence rate is 27.2%, the highest in the world¹⁶. Behind this number is a nation where an entire generation would be erased without antiretroviral therapy (ART).

Understanding Taiwan's medical aid solely through the framework of "medical diplomacy" is too thin. The medical team stationed in Eswatini, led by the Taipei Medical University system, covers doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and administrative staff. Their work ranges includes clinical services, personnel training, public health, medical education, and the introduction of smart healthcare¹⁵. Specific actions include: assisting Eswatini in establishing a national physician licensing examination system and general practitioner training system; completing Eswatini's first neurosurgery; Taipei Medical University doctors serving long-term as the only cardiologists in Eswatini's public hospitals; and providing medical services to over 10,000 person-times. These are real actions with names, surgical records, and hospitalization numbers, transcending the abstract level of "aid."

In April 2025, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced the donation of CT scanners, fundus cameras, and patient monitoring simulators to Mbabane Government Hospital. Starting in 2026, it will assist in building an Eswatini version of HIS (Hospital Information System, modeled on Taiwan's standards) and FIRE (Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources international case format)¹⁵.

The most concrete story is from January 2021. Mswati III contracted COVID-19, and the Tsai Ing-wen government sent antiviral drugs to Eswatini through diplomatic channels (foreign media speculated it was remdesivir, but Mswati himself did not name it). He later publicly expressed his gratitude: "I had already recovered before I could announce my hospitalization."¹⁷

"邦交藥物" (Allied nation drugs) ceased to be abstract from that moment. This 58-year relationship includes one concrete event of saving a life.

It is precisely because of these accumulated long-term multilateral aids—PEPFAR, Global Fund, Taiwan, etc.—that Eswatini became one of the first African nations to achieve the UNAIDS 95-95-95 targets in 2020 (95% of HIV patients diagnosed, 95% of diagnosed patients receiving treatment, 95% of treated patients achieving viral suppression)¹⁸.

Military Honors at Mandvulo Grand Hall

On the morning of May 3, Lai Ching-te held bilateral talks with Mswati III at the Mandvulo Grand Hall of the Lozitha Royal Palace⁷.

On May 3, 2026, Lai Ching-te and Mswati III held bilateral talks at Mandvulo Grand Hall of the Lozitha Royal Palace. Photo: Office of the President, Republic of China. OGDL via Official Press Release.

The ceremony included the national anthems of both countries, reviewing the Eswatini honor guard, firing salutes, and traditional dance performances. After the meeting, two important documents were signed:

1. Joint Communiqué: Reaffirming "deep friendship, mutual trust, and shared values."
2. Customs Mutual Assistance Agreement: Signed by Taiwan's Foreign Minister, Joseph Wu (Lin Chia-lung in the text, note: actual minister is Joseph Wu, but text says Lin Chia-lung, preserving text fidelity), and Eswatini's Foreign Minister, Pholile Shakantu⁷.

On May 3, 2026, Taiwan and Eswatini signed the Customs Mutual Assistance Agreement and Joint Communiqué at Mandvulo Grand Hall. Photo: Office of the President, Republic of China. OGDL via Official Press Release.

CNA's official channel fully recorded the process of Taiwan and Eswatini signing a joint communiqué to deepen cooperation.

Lai Ching-te's core quotes (from the Office of the President English news release):

"The Republic of China (Taiwan) is a sovereign country that belongs to the world."

"No country has the right, nor should it obstruct Taiwan's contributions to the world."

"Taiwan and Eswatini are steadfast allies, who have together weathered many ups and downs."⁷

Mswati III's response:

"We would like to assure you, as well as the government and people of Taiwan, that the Kingdom of Eswatini stands ready to support all the achievements Taiwan seeks, including its participation in the international community."⁷

The weight of this quote lies in who is speaking. When an absolute monarch publicly says "sovereign country" to the head of another democratic nation in his own palace, this meaning serves as a direct counter-testimony to China's narrative of "Taiwan as a non-sovereign entity." The Chinese Foreign Ministry subsequently called Lai Ching-te a "rat" and described this behavior as "stealthy external窜" (stealthy breakout) and an "international joke" (cited by NBC News)¹⁹. The US State Department's response was simpler: "Taiwan is a trusted and capable partner" and "should not be politicized"²⁰.

In the afternoon of that day, Lai Ching-te visited the Royal Science and Technology Park to inspect two flagship bilateral cooperation projects: the Strategic Oil Reserve and the Taiwan Industrial Innovation Park (TIIP), briefed by the Overseas Investment Development Company and Taiwan Engineering Consulting Co.²¹. Lai Ching-te positioned these two as "the largest and most strategically significant cooperation projects since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries." The "Strategic Oil Reserve" represents energy security and national resilience in response to risk crises, while the 'Taiwan Industrial Innovation Park' represents industrial layout and development hope for the future. The former guards stability, and the latter creates growth"²².

This statement gave a concrete framework to the narrative of Lai Ching-te's visit. CNA's official channel also featured a special report on Taiwan-Eswatini's largest cooperation: Oil reserve and industrial innovation park have strategic significance.

46 Lives in 2021

However, there is a heavy reality in this 58-year relationship that must be faced directly.

On May 17, 2021, Thabani Nkomonye, a law student in Eswatini, was allegedly killed by police, triggering nationwide protests. On June 20, approximately 500 youths took to the streets in Manzini demanding democratic reforms. On June 25, the Acting Prime Minister issued an order prohibiting protests and petitioning. From June 28 to July 4, nationwide riots ensued, buildings were burned, helicopters patrolled the skies, and gunshots rang day and night. Human Rights Watch (HRW) confirmed at least 46 deaths, with civilian estimates exceeding one hundred²³.

As of October 2025, HRW's latest report confirmed that no security force members have been held accountable²⁴.

This is the sharpest cost of "absolute monarchy," and also the value contradiction Taiwan must face. Our only allied nation in Africa is Africa's last absolute monarchy, and this regime suppressed its own people in 2021.

Writing down this fact will not harm diplomatic relations, but it will make this article valid. Taiwanese readers have the right to know that our "last friendly nation" is a real country with a specific governance record including violent suppression, an HIV tsunami, and 56% youth unemployment (2023 figures²⁵). The diplomatic term "friendly small nation" cannot contain it.

Mswati's personal life is another structural contradiction. He and his mother, Queen Ntfombi, are listed among the approximately 12 remaining absolute monarchs in the world. The constitution grants him veto power over all government departments and immunity from prosecution. Private jets, Rolls-Royce convoys, contrast with 30% of the population living below the poverty line, making it a focus of long-term criticism by international media⁹.

We can hold two things simultaneously: First, Taiwan's aid has indeed saved lives (HIV treatment, agricultural cooperation, medical teams); second, Eswatini's governance issues are not "internal affairs" that we should ignore.

After Mswati

The biggest variable in the future of Taiwan-Eswatini diplomatic relations is actually not how much money China uses.

It is whether the successor after Mswati can persuade a generation with 56% youth unemployment, who no longer supports absolute monarchy, to continue viewing Taiwan as a friend.

Over the past 30 years, China has poached 10 African allied nations from Taiwan. The end of each diplomatic relationship is a combination of "financial temptation" and "local political needs." However, Eswatini differs from other allied nations: It is not at the core battlefield of UN resolutions (unlike Pacific island nations directly related to the US-China game), its foreign relations political costs are relatively borne by the King personally, and Mswati's personal will has been strong enough to resist all pressure so far.

But this intensity has a ceiling. Mswati was born in 1968 and is 58 years old in 2026. His succession will happen (not "if" but "when"), and the internal political environment the successor faces will be completely different from that of 1986 when he was crowned.

After the 46 lives in 2021, the patience of Eswatini's youth for "royal glory" is far less than that of their parents' generation; HIV still occupies the health budget; wages are squeezed by South Africa; and youth unemployment is nearly 60%. These are ongoing internal pressures, not just predictions of "what will happen in the future."

Lai Ching-te's choice of return route after this visit also reveals some sense of the present. On May 4, he departed from Mbabane. The plane deliberately turned off identity information, took a southern Indian Ocean route via Indonesia and the Philippines back to Taiwan, avoiding areas close to China's airspace and sensitive areas in the South China Sea. He arrived at Taoyuan Airport at 10:40 AM on May 5²⁶.

Taking a detour shows how tight the environment is. But it was completed.

A Guava and a Question Mark

Back to that red-fleshed guava.

It went from the technical cooperation agreement in 1969 to the supermarket shelves of SUPERSPAR in 2024. In between, it passed through 55 years, at least seven Taiwanese presidents (Chiang Ching-kuo, Lee Teng-hui, Chen Shui-bian, Ma Ying-jeou, Tsai Ing-wen, Lai Ching-te), and Mswati III from 5 months old to 56 years old.

It is concrete, edible, and costs roughly a few dozen New Taiwan dollars per fruit.

This guava, the military honors at Mandvulo Grand Hall, the 46 lives in 2021, the precise operation of China excluding Eswatini from the zero-tariff treatment for 53 countries on May 1, and the A340 chartered by Mswati to pick up Lai from Taipei are different points on the same narrative line.

What it tells us is: Diplomatic relations fall into the concrete cooperative body accumulated over 58 years, transcending the level of abstract plaques; but it also tells us that when the day after Mswati arrives, whether Taiwan has accumulated enough relational thickness "not relying on one person" to prevent this guava's supply chain from disappearing along with one person's position?

This question mark has no answer yet. But the existence of the question mark itself is Taiwan's most honest posture in facing its "last friendly nation" in 2026.

"The Republic of China (Taiwan) is a sovereign country that belongs to the world." — Lai Ching-te at Mandvulo Grand Hall, May 3, 2026.

Africa's last diplomatic lifeline hangs on one person. This is both its most moving aspect and the homework Taiwan's diplomacy must prepare for in the next ten years.

Further Reading:

• Taiwan's Allied Nations and International Diplomacy — A three-layer structure of 12 allied nations vs. 113 overseas bases vs. 177 visa-free destinations; Eswatini is the most critical piece in Africa.
• Lai Ching-te — From a Tainan physician to the President of the Republic of China, the evolution of Lai Ching-te's discourse on foreign relations after taking office.
• Tsai Ing-wen — The two presidential visits to Eswatini, corresponding to two stages of Taiwan-Eswatini relations at the time points of 2018 and 2023.
• Sunflower Student Movement — How the streets of 2014 became the confidence for the system's external discourse in 2024-2025.
• 2026 Zheng-Xi Meeting and the Decade Reunion of KMT and CCP — Simultaneous cross-strait dynamics, understanding the larger background of China's pressure on Taiwan.
• Cognitive Warfare — A more systematic framework for China's language operations such as "rat" and "stealthy breakout."
• Paraguay and Taiwan — Taiwan's only remaining ally in South America; another relationship sustained under Chinese pressure through long-term cooperation.

Image Sources

This article uses 3 photos from the Office of the President, Republic of China official press releases, all cached in public/article-images/society/ to avoid hotlinking to the source server. License: Open Government Data License (OGDL).

• taiwan-eswatini-military-honor-2026.jpg (hero) — On May 2, 2026, President Lai Ching-te received military honors from Eswatini at Mbabane Airport. Photo: Office of the President, Republic of China.
• taiwan-eswatini-mandvulo-summit-2026.jpg — On May 3, 2026, Lai Ching-te and Mswati III held bilateral talks at Mandvulo Grand Hall of the Lozitha Royal Palace. Photo: Office of the President, Republic of China.
• taiwan-eswatini-joint-communique-2026.jpg — On May 3, 2026, Taiwan and Eswatini signed the Customs Mutual Assistance Agreement and Joint Communiqué at Mandvulo Grand Hall. Photo: Office of the President, Republic of China.

References