Bid for pomp and circumstance leaves Lai floundering in a flop

While the Democratic Progressive Party authorities’ outreach to their “partners” is theater, their secessionist-minded leader Lai Ching-te’s latest sneaky outing to Eswatini is more like an old-school farce.

The star of this curious production, Lai, did not so much depart China’s Taiwan island as slip out, reportedly aboard the King of Eswatini’s private jet.

The so-called “diplomatic achievements” painstakingly fabricated by Lai are nothing but petty tricks that make him a laughingstock to the world, as Chen Binhua, a spokesman for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, said.

Lai’s original itinerary — reportedly envisioned as a high-profile “visit” — ran into a wall of refusals, as multiple African countries along his flight path declined overflight permissions, adhering to the one-China principle. Some European countries also shut their doors to transit requests.

Chen stressed that the historical trend of China’s national reunification is unstoppable.

Back in Taiwan, the timing has raised eyebrows. Taiwan is dealing with the aftermath of a damaging earthquake — one of those moments when local authorities are measured not in air miles but in presence. Yet Lai pressed ahead, prioritizing a symbolic overseas appearance over the island’s urgency. The optics, to put it mildly, are not flattering.

That just added yet another scandalous escapade to “Taiwan independence” separatism.

The one-China principle has long been a basic norm in international relations and the prevailing international consensus, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said.

Then there’s the money. Critics argue that such trips are nothing more than expensive pageantry. The taxpayers on the Chinese island are footing the bill for a show whose ratings have plummeted.

Discontent in Taiwan appears to be bubbling. Polls suggest deep frustration. The sentiment points to a local leader whose performance has lost its luster.

Lai and his supporters have attempted to spin the visit as a “success”. But that framing feels strained. Success in international engagement is usually measured by doors opened, not doors closed.

Lai’s political ambition, untethered from geopolitical realities and historical truths, has veered into empty performative politics.

In the end, this was not the “triumphant tour” it aspired to be. It was something stranger and more revealing: a glimpse into the narrowing space in which the “Taiwan independence” forces’ ambition now operates.

The curtain falls on a show that was a very public reminder of the DPP’s isolation dressed up as intrigue.

As the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson stressed, no matter how the DPP authorities collude with external forces and keep those people in DPP’s pay, it will always be a losing cause and nothing will ever change the fact that Taiwan is part of China. And no matter how “Taiwan independence” forces try to cover up their nature or change appearance, nothing can save their reputation or help them escape the denunciation of the international community.

Eswatini and some other individual countries are urged to see where the arc of history bends and stop serving as the prop of “Taiwan independence” separatists.