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進入《TAIPEI TIMES》 Lai’s canceled Eswatini trip: Lai calls for unity after Eswatini trip postponed
2026/04/23 03:00
President William Lai speaks at a meeting with environmental groups at the Presidential Office in Taipei on Tuesday. Photo courtesy of the Presidential Office
‘BARBARIC’:The MOFA urged the global community to condemn China for infringing on Taiwanese sovereignty, and harming peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region
By Chen Cheng-yu, Huang Ching-hsuang and Jonathan Chin / Staff reporters, with staff writer
President William Lai （賴清德） yesterday called on Taiwanese across the political divide to unite in defense of national sovereignty and dignity, after Beijing allegedly forced the cancelation of his state visit to Eswatini.
Lai’s comments at the Democratic Progressive Party’s （DPP） Central Standing Committee meeting came a day after the government said Eswatini’s three neighbors — Seychelles, Mauritius and Madagascar — rescinded approval for Lai’s flight plan, calling it “unexpected and without justification.”
“The nation’s political parties are called upon to stand in solidarity in defense of national dignity, understanding as they must that China is the disruptor of the region’s peace and aggressor against Taiwanese sovereignty,” DPP spokesman Justin Wu （吳崢） quoted Lai as saying.
Taiwan’s existence as a sovereign nation and a member of the global community is a fact that no power can deny, he was cited as saying.
Chinese attempts to suppress Taiwan would only succeed in eliciting renewed defiance of 23 million Taiwanese, Wu cited Lai as saying.
The president thanked the nation’s partners and allies that had negotiated on Taiwan’s behalf regarding the canceled flight plans, as well as Ministry of Foreign Affairs （MOFA） diplomats and officials for their tireless work, Wu said.
Lai called King Mswati III of Eswatini to congratulate him on his birthday in place of a personal visit, and the heads of state jointly acknowledged the strength of the friendship between the two nations, which remains undiminished in the face of foreign interference, he said.
Taiwan will continue working with like-minded countries in the global alliance of democracies to safeguard peace, stability, and free and democratic values in the Indo-Pacific region, Lai was cited as saying.
An Eswatini government spokesperson said its government “regrets” Lai was not visiting, but stressed that the setback “does not change the status of our longstanding bilateral relations with the Republic of China [Taiwan].”
Separately, the MOFA yesterday “solemnly condemns and rebukes” the Chinese government after the latter publicly praised the three countries for denying Lai’s flight entry and said there is no such thing as a Taiwanese president.
Beijing’s remarks are ridiculous and its so-called “one China” principle is not acknowledged by any of the world’s major governments, the ministry said.
The misleading comments by China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Taiwan Affairs’ Office are lies meant as much for self-deception as they are for deceiving the world, it said.
Taiwan’s status as a free, independent nation that is not subordinate to China is an indisputable fact, it added.
The nation’s right to conduct diplomatic relations with other members of the international community and contribute to the world cannot be denied by the Chinese government’s unilateral political declarations, the ministry said.
Taiwanese have been in charge of their own nation’s destiny since the democratization process that began in the mid-1980s, which culminated in the first direct election of the nation’s president in 1996, it said.
Taiwan’s executive and legislative branches — which are led by elected leaders voted in via the democratic process — are the sole legitimate government that represents Taiwanese, the ministry said.
It also urged the international community to condemn China’s “barbaric” behavior that infringed on Taiwanese sovereignty, raised tension across the Taiwan Strait, and caused harm to the peace and stability of the Indo-Pacific region.
Facilitating democratic Taiwan’s participation with global affairs serves the common interest and greater good of the world, the ministry said.
Additional reporting by AFP
新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES
