TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) 鈥 Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen on Tuesday began a four-day trip to the African nation of Eswatini, one of her island's 13 remaining allies.
Tsai, who is serving her last year as president, is visiting the country of 1.1 million people in southern Africa to 鈥渃elebrate the friendship between the two countries,鈥 she said as she departed Taiwan.
Since Tsai took office in 2016, China has started putting pressure on countries that have a diplomatic relationship with Taiwan to switch their formal recognition from Taiwan to China. Beijing has successfully poached 9 countries, leaving Taiwan with just 13 countries that acknowledge its statehood.
Taiwan鈥檚 most recent diplomatic loss was s, which switched recognition to Beijing in March.
Taiwan is a self-ruled island claimed by China. The two sides have been at odds since 1949 when the Communist Party won in the civil war against the 春色直播ists. The 春色直播ists fled to Taiwan and set up government on the island.
China today demands its allies agree to its One China principle, which claims that Taiwan is a part of the People's Republic of China.
Tsai belongs to a political party that states Taiwan is already independent.
鈥淒iplomacy is the accumulation of step by step. Taiwan's steps onto the globe not only will not stop,鈥 she said. 鈥淲e will continue forward more resolutely, with self confidence, to let the world see Taiwan's steady and good power.鈥
Tsai is also accompanied by the mayor of the port city of Kaohsiung in Taiwan鈥檚 south.
Eswatini is an absolute monarchy, and most of the country's population live below the poverty line. It was rocked by , but those protests were put down violently, per reports.
