台北，10月9日——斯威士兰国王周五承诺将进一步加强该国与台湾之间“历久弥坚的友谊”。此前，台湾领导人赖清德于5月份访问了这个南部非洲国家，而中国当时试图阻止此次访问。
TAIPEI, Oct 9 - Eswatini's king pledged on Friday to strengthen his country's "enduring friendship" with Taiwan, during a return visit to Taipei after President Lai Ching-te's trip to the southern African nation in May that China tried to block.
姆斯瓦蒂三世国王将于周六出席台湾的国庆庆典。这个前身为斯威士兰的国家，是目前仅有的12个与台湾保持外交关系的国家之一，其余多为位于拉丁美洲、加勒比海及太平洋地区的小国。
King Mswati III is set to attend Taiwan's national day celebrations on Saturday. The former Swaziland is one of just 12 small states, mostly in Latin America, the Caribbean and the Pacific, that have diplomatic relations with Taiwan.
对于这个被中国视为自己领土一部分的民主岛屿而言，维持与这些国家的联系是其政府的优先事项。
Maintaining ties with them is a priority for the government of the democratically ruled island, which China views as part of its own territory.
今年4月，台湾方面指控中国向其他三个非洲国家施压，阻止赖清德的专机飞越其领空，导致他不得不推迟原定参加国王登基40周年庆典的计划。后来赖清德于5月份采取“先抵达、后宣布”的策略，出人意料地访问了斯威士兰——这种做法常见于外国领导人访问乌克兰等饱受战乱的国家。
In April, Taiwan accused China of pressuring three other African countries to block overflight permission for Lai's aircraft, causing him to postpone a plan to join celebrations of the 40th anniversary of the king's accession. Lai then made a surprise trip in May, using an "arrive, then announce" approach more commonly followed by foreign leaders visiting war-torn countries, such as Ukraine.
国王表示，斯威士兰将继续支持台湾以有意义的方式参与联合国事务，目前由于北京的反对，台湾尚未获得联合国成员国资格。
The monarch said Eswatini would continue to advocate for Taiwan's meaningful participation in the United Nations, to which it does not belong due to Beijing's objections.
“我们高度重视两国间历久弥坚的友谊与合作，期待今后能进一步巩固这一关系，造福两国人民，”国王在台北自由广场举行的欢迎仪式上说道。
"We deeply value the enduring friendship and cooperation between our two countries, and we look forward to strengthening these bonds for the benefit of our peoples," the king told a welcome ceremony on Taipei's Liberty Square.
赖清德则表示，双方始终在互信的基础上开展合作，是“相互支持、共同成长”的伙伴。对于国王此次访台一事，中国外交部暂未作出回应。
Lai said the two sides had always collaborated from a position of trust and were partners who "support each other and grow together". China's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the king's Taiwan trip.
今年4月的事件标志着台湾领导人首次因被拒绝飞越领空而取消整个外访行程，这很可能是中国为限制台湾的国际联系而采取的新策略。当时，美国、欧盟和英国均对此表示担忧。
April's incident was the first time a Taiwan president had cancelled an entire foreign trip due to denial of airspace access, an apparent new Chinese strategy to curb the island's international ties. The United States, European Union and Britain all expressed concern at the time.
5月，赖清德乘坐国王的私人A-340专机返回台北，飞行路线绕过了毛里求斯和马达加斯加的领空。据台湾方面称，这两个国家均受到了中国的施压，被迫拒绝让赖清德的飞机飞越其领空。同年5月，中国谴责斯威士兰的领导人受台湾“供养与豢养”。
Lai's return flight to Taipei in May, on the king's private A-340, took a route skirting airspace controlled by Mauritius and Madagascar, two of the nations Taiwan said were pressured by China to deny him airspace access. In May, China condemned Eswatini's leaders for being "kept and fed" by Taiwan.