Taiwan President Lai Ching-te arrived in Eswatini on Saturday. Eswatini is Taiwan's only diplomatic ally in Africa.
The surprise trip follows the delay of a visit that was meant to take place last month. That earlier attempt was derailed after several China-friendly African countries and Indian Ocean states reportedly withdrew permission for him to fly over their territories and closed their airspace to his aircraft.
Taiwan's government blamed these flight challenges on pressure from Beijing. Despite the previous obstacles, President Lai has now reached the country.