Taiwan President Lai Ching-te said it is a basic right for countries to conduct state visits after returning from a trip to Eswatini, one of Taiwan’s few remaining diplomatic partners.

He said China had tried to block his travel by pressuring countries to deny airspace access, though Beijing did not confirm this and instead reiterated its “one-China principle.”

Lai’s visit to Eswatini included discussions on economic, cultural, and educational cooperation after an earlier attempt to travel was disrupted.

China continues to claim Taiwan as its territory and pressures countries to avoid official ties with Taipei, NBC News has reported.

Lai said the trip demonstrated Taiwan’s determination to remain engaged internationally despite growing Chinese pressure.