Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te, pictured in February, said 'unexpected external forces' had forced the suspension of his previously planned trip to Eswatini

Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te, pictured in February, said 'unexpected external forces' had forced the suspension of his previously planned trip to Eswatini

 Yu Chen CHENG

Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te on Saturday announced his arrival in Eswatini -- Taipei's only diplomatic ally in Africa -- after an earlier trip was cancelled when several countries revoked overflight permits.

Those various African nations withdrew overflight permission following "intense pressure" from Beijing, one of Lai's closest advisers said at the time, forcing cancellation of the initially scheduled April 22-26 trip.

Originally published on doc.afp.com, part of the BLOX Digital Content Exchange.

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