Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te said on Tuesday he was canceling a planned trip to Africa after three countries refused his plane permission to fly through their airspace following pressure from China.
Lai had been due to visit Eswatini, one of just 12 countries that maintain full diplomatic ties with Taiwan, to attend the 40th anniversary of King Mswati III’s accession. Seychelles, Mauritius and Madagascar revoked overflight rights for his aircraft.
“The actual reason was intense pressure exerted by Chinese authorities, including economic coercion,” Presidential Office Secretary-General Pan Meng-an said. He added that using coercive means to force a third country to change its sovereign decisions “not only undermines aviation safety and violates relevant international norms and practices, it also constitutes a blatant interference in another country’s internal affairs, disrupts the regional status quo, and harms the feelings of the people of Taiwan.”
The Seychelles and Mauritius did not respond to the allegations. Madagascar’s officials said they recognise only one China, referring to the mainland.
China claims sovereignty over Taiwan and has expanded its influence in Africa through the Belt and Road Initiative and other investment projects. Eswatini remains Taiwan’s only African ally after Burkina Faso switched recognition to Beijing in 2018.
Lai has also faced movement restrictions from allies: last year, despite Washington’s stated support for Taiwan, US President Donald Trump reportedly would not allow the Taiwanese leader to transit through New York en route to Latin America.
Edited by: Roshni Majumdar