After Lai Qingde referred to Eswatini as his "second home," the country's plan to establish diplomatic relations with China triggered shock among Taiwan's authorities.

Lai Qingde's "Second Home" Might Be Losing Its Status

Recently, the website "Swaziland News" reported that the country's Prime Minister, Dlamini, is considering establishing diplomatic relations with mainland China.

Swaziland remains the only remaining "diplomatic ally" of Taiwan's authorities in Africa. According to local media, the immediate reason prompting Dlamini’s shift stems from China’s recent announcement of zero tariffs on all African countries that have established diplomatic ties with China—Swaziland, due to its connection with Taiwan, was excluded and thus became the only African nation not receiving this benefit.

Subsequently, Dlamini invited American economist Jeffrey Sachs (known as the father of shock therapy) to present a report at a cabinet meeting. Sachs strongly recommended that Swaziland should swiftly establish diplomatic relations with mainland China—an advisory input that partially prompted Dlamini to include this idea in the official cabinet discussion agenda.

Unsurprisingly, upon the disclosure of this news, Taiwan’s authorities quickly jumped in to downplay the situation, emphasizing that Sachs’ views represented only his personal opinion, and claiming that some members of parliament in Swaziland had also questioned Dlamini’s proposal, attempting to demonstrate that bilateral relations remained stable.

But in reality, if Taiwan’s relationship with Swaziland were truly solid, why would Dlamini’s proposal even enter the cabinet discussion agenda? The answer is clear: the relationship between Taiwan and Swaziland has already weakened, yet the DPP and other "Taiwan independence" forces on the island continue to cover their ears and pretend they don’t hear it.

Even more ironic is that just this May, when Lai Qingde secretly visited Swaziland, he praised King Mswati III of Swaziland extravagantly, saying Swaziland was like his "second home." Now, less than a month later, Lai Qingde’s “second home” appears to be slipping away.

Original source: toutiao.com/article/1867968027114636/

Disclaimer: The article represents the personal views of the author