00:03President Lai Qingde greets the king of Eswatini, Mswati III, Saturday.
00:08This trip to Taiwan's African ally is happening behind schedule,
00:12missing the king's birthday and the 40th anniversary of his coronation.
00:16Taiwan says last-minute Chinese pressure led several countries to block Lai's plane from their airspace,
00:22forcing Lai to postpone his trip.
00:24But two weeks later, he's here.
00:26The visit wasn't made public ahead of time, but Eswatini was ready for his arrival.
00:38The national anthem plays as guns fire a salute to honor Lai's first visit to this country as Taiwan's president.
00:45Taiwan and Eswatini have recognized one another since shortly after Eswatini's independence in 1968.
00:52And while every other country on the continent has broken ties with Taiwan in favor of China,
00:58Eswatini's King Mswati III says his country still has Taiwan's back.
01:03Your Excellency, we would like to give assurance yourself, the government and the people of Taiwan that the kingdom of
01:16Eswatini stands ready and in support of all the achievements which Taiwan would like to achieve,
01:26which includes Taiwan's participation in the international community.
01:35Eswatini is one of twelve countries that recognize Taiwan.
01:39And President Lai says despite pressure from Beijing, Taiwan, officially the Republic of China,
01:45isn't giving in when it comes to engaging with the world.
02:07China has made clear its irritation with Eswatini over its ties with Taiwan.
02:11On Friday, Beijing axed tariffs for all African countries except Eswatini.
02:17It's also disparaged Lai's visit, describing it as a, quote, stowaway-style farce.
02:23With this visit, Eswatini and Taiwan are strengthening ties.
02:27They've signed an agreement of mutual assistance in customs matters.
02:31And Taiwan is hoping to see deeper economic, agricultural, cultural and educational links, too.
02:37Though China sees Taiwan as part of its territory without the right to diplomatic ties,
02:43the presidential office says Taiwan isn't going to give up its international role.
02:47We also want to emphasize that Taiwan is a member of international society.
02:52The world is a member of the world of all Taiwan's 2,300 million people.
02:57In the future, Taiwan will continue to be the foundation of international history
03:02and continue to be together with international society.
03:07And in an English-language social media post, Lai put this position in his own words, writing, quote,
03:13Our resolve and commitment are underpinned by the understanding that Taiwan will continue to engage with the world,
03:20no matter the challenges faced.
03:23John Tsu and John Van Trieste for Taiwan Plus.
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