Mbabane [Eswatini], May 3 (ANI): President Lai Ching-te on Sunday said that he was briefed on Taiwan's flagship projects in Eswatini-- the Industrial Innovation park and the strategic oil reserve facility.

He affirmed that the joint efforts would contribute to energy security and pave the way for further cooperation between Taiwan and Eswatini.

In a post on X, he said, 'I was briefed on the #Taiwan Industrial Innovation Park & strategic oil reserve facility-- important flagship projects in #Eswatini. Our joint efforts will contribute to energy security & industrial capabilities, paving the way for further cooperation and shared prosperity.'

https://x.com/ChingteLai/status/2050939370585366596?s=20

Upon his arrival in Eswatini, the Taiwanese President said in an earlier post on X that they began a full program of engagements, including a bilateral meeting with King Mswati III and the signing of a joint communique.

'From cultivating crops to enhanced trade, our cooperation continues to highlight #Taiwan's global contributions', he said.

https://x.com/ChingteLai/status/2050765151025107010?s=20

As per Focus Taiwan, during a bilateral meeting, Lai and the King both mentioned the 58th anniversary of diplomatic relations between their countries this year.

During the meeting, the two leaders also witnessed the signing of an agreement on mutual assistance in customs matters by Taiwan's Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung and his Eswatini counterpart Shakantu.

His visit comes despite China's efforts to block it. Eswatini is the only country on the African continent that still recognises Taiwan.

Lai's visit comes after a previously planned journey was abandoned when several nations rescinded overflight clearances. These African countries reportedly retracted their permissions following 'intense pressure' from Beijing, a move that disrupted the original schedule intended for late April.

The visit triggered a fierce reaction from Beijing, where China's Taiwan Affairs Office claimed the President had 'skulked' his way into the kingdom. According to CNA, a spokesperson for the office described the move as 'despicable conduct, like a rat scurrying across the street, will inevitably be met with ridicule by the international community.'

Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council swiftly countered these remarks, insisting that no permission was required from Beijing for such travels. The council dismissed the rhetoric from China as 'fishwife's gutter talk', which they described as being 'boring in the extreme.'

Further criticism emerged from China's foreign ministry, which characterised the trip as a 'stowaway-style escape farce'. According to CNA, officials in Beijing maintained that the visit 'cannot change the fact that Taiwan is part of China,' while warning Eswatini not to 'pull chestnuts out of the fire for a handful of 'Taiwan independence' separatists.'

Eswatini, a landlocked nation formerly known as Swaziland, remains one of just 12 states globally that maintain formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan. The President had originally intended to visit in April for the 40th anniversary of King Mswati III's accession, but the plan was thwarted when the Seychelles, Mauritius, and Madagascar reportedly revoked overflight rights 'unexpectedly and without notice.' (ANI)