China and Taiwan are stepping up diplomatic competition in Africa and South America, vying for the last remaining Taiwan allies in each region.
On May 2 (local time), Taiwan President Lai Ching-te arrived in Eswatini, according to the BBC and other outlets. The small monarchy in southeastern Africa, formerly known as Swaziland, gained independence from Britain in 1968. Eswatini has been Taiwan’s only diplomatic ally in Africa since Burkina Faso cut ties with Taiwan and established relations with China in 2018. The relationship is close: Prince Bulebenkosi Dlamini, a son of King Mswati III, completed undergraduate and master’s studies at Shih Chien University in Taiwan.
Lai’s trip had originally been planned for last month to mark the king’s 40th anniversary on the throne and his 58th birthday. Taiwan’s presidential office said the visit was canceled then after Seychelles, Mauritius and Madagascar denied overflight clearance to Lai’s delegation. Bloomberg reported that after the overflight denials, Taiwan urgently asked Germany and the Czech Republic to allow a stopover, but was turned down.
Eswatini rolled out a red carpet on the runway and Prime Minister Russell Mmiso Dlamini greeted Lai. In a meeting with the king, Lai said, “Taiwan is a sovereign country and belongs to the world.”
Chinese authorities criticized the visit as “despicable behavior like a rat,” the report said. China has also recently introduced tariff exemptions for all African countries except Eswatini. Taiwan is pursuing an oil storage facility and an industrial park project in Eswatini. Taiwan Deputy Foreign Minister Chen Ming-chi previously said Taiwan would show “how Taiwan will support Eswatini’s economy” during Lai’s visit.
A similar contest is playing out over Paraguay, Taiwan’s only diplomatic ally in South America. The New York Times reported May 2 that the relationship dates to 1957, when Chiang Kai-shek, Taiwan’s first president, and then-Paraguayan President Alfredo Stroessner aligned under an anti-communist banner. The paper said Paraguay is among the most strongly anti-China countries in Latin America, drawing praise from U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has called conservative Paraguayan President Santiago Pena “a strong ally of the United States.”
The report said Taiwan has backed Paraguay with a range of support, including a presidential aircraft, helicopters, electric buses and trips to Taipei for Paraguayan politicians. Taiwan also helped fund construction of Paraguay’s National Congress building. As China pressed Paraguay to “quickly make the right decision,” Taiwan increased support, providing a $200 million loan for housing for low-income residents and a $20 million grant for a hospital.
Taiwan currently has 12 diplomatic allies, including the Vatican and Haiti.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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