Taiwan President Lai Ching-te cancelled his planned trip to Eswatini this week after three African countries revoked overflight permissions for his aircraft, an action Taipei blamed on pressure from Beijing.
Lai was scheduled to depart on Wednesday for the 40th anniversary of King Mswati III’s accession in Eswatini, one of only 12 countries that maintain formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan.
Presidential Office Secretary-General Pan Meng-an said on Tuesday that the Seychelles, Mauritius, and Madagascar unilaterally revoked flight permits for the presidential aircraft to cross their airspace without prior warning.
“The actual reason was intense pressure exerted by Chinese authorities, including economic coercion,” Pan told a news conference in Taipei.
China’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Beijing, which claims Taiwan as one of its provinces with no right to call itself a country, has deep economic and political ties with Africa.
In a Facebook post, Lai said China’s “suppressive actions” demonstrate the threat authoritarian states pose to the international order, peace, and stability. “No threat or suppression can change Taiwan’s determination to engage with the world, nor can it negate Taiwan’s ability to contribute to the international community,” he added.
Seychelles’ foreign affairs ministry told Reuters that the Taiwanese president’s plane had not been granted clearance for overflight or landing, in line with the government’s longstanding policy of not recognising Taiwan’s sovereignty. “The decision was taken independently and in accordance with established procedures,” said Aline Morel, senior protocol officer at the ministry.
A Madagascar foreign ministry official also confirmed having denied an overflight request. “Malagasy diplomacy recognises only one China.
The decision was made in full respect of Madagascar’s sovereignty over its airspace,” the official said. Mauritius did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
A senior Taiwan security official told Reuters that the government’s understanding was that China applied pressure on the three countries, threatening economic sanctions including revoking debt relief.
This would be the first time a Taiwan president has had to call off an overseas trip due to Chinese pressure. Taiwanese presidents normally have no problems overflying countries with which the island does not have formal relations, but Beijing harbours a particular dislike of Lai, whom it calls a “separatist.” Lai says only Taiwan’s people can decide their future and rejects Beijing’s sovereignty claims.
This would have been Lai’s first trip outside Taiwan since November 2024, when he visited the Marshall Islands, Tuvalu, and Palau, and transited through Hawaii and the U.S. territory of Guam.
The last time a Taiwanese president visited Eswatini, formerly known as Swaziland and home to around 1.3 million people, was in 2023, when Tsai Ing-wen made the journey.
