President William Lai (賴清德) has postponed an official trip to Eswatini, after several countries in Africa revoked overflight permits following “intense pressure” from China, a senior aide said yesterday.
Lai was due to visit the Kingdom of Eswatini from today to Sunday for the 40th anniversary of King Mswati III’s accession and his 58th birthday.
Eswatini is among Taiwan’s 12 remaining diplomatic allies and the only one in Africa.
Photo: Tien Yu-hua, Taipei Times
“According to sources, the Seychelles, Mauritius and Madagascar unexpectedly and without prior notice revoked the charter’s overflight permits,” Presidential Office Secretary-General Pan Men-an (潘孟安) told a news conference.
“The real reason is that the Chinese authorities exerted intense pressure, including economic coercion,” he said.
Taipei “strongly” condemns Beijing’s “crude actions,” Pan said, describing the situation as “virtually unprecedented in the international community.”
“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,” Pan said.
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois Wu (吳志中) said as many African states suffer from debt-trap diplomacy under China’s "One Belt, One Road" initiative, Taiwan would continue to deepen tangible bilateral cooperation, including in the fields of healthcare, technological support and investment to make Eswatini realize that it is in its national interests "to stand with Taiwan."
A special envoy would be appointed to attend the celebrations in Eswatini on Lai’s behalf, Pan said.
Lai wrote on Facebook that he had accepted the advice of his national security team to postpone the trip, but added: “No threats or repression can change Taiwan’s determination to engage with the world.”
A Madagascan Ministry of Foreign Affairs official said the overflight request had been denied.
“Malagasy diplomacy recognizes only one China. The decision was made in full respect of Madagascar’s sovereignty over its airspace,” the official said.
The Seychelles government declined to comment, and Mauritius did not immediately respond to requests for a response.
The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
A senior security official said that the government’s understanding was that China applied pressure on the Seychelles, Madagascar and Mauritius, threatening economic sanctions, including revoking debt relief.
Lai’s last official overseas trip was in November 2024, when he visited the nation’s Pacific allies and transited through the US territory of Guam.
US President Donald Trump’s administration reportedly denied permission for Lai to transit in New York last year as part of an official trip to Latin America.
Lai had planned to fly direct to Eswatini to “avoid those areas in the Middle East where the risks from ongoing conflict are relatively high,” National Security Council Secretary-General Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) told reporters.
He had been expected to meet and exchange views with other heads of state attending the event.
King Mswati visited Taiwan to attend Lai’s inauguration in 2024.
The last visit by a Taiwanese president to Eswatini was in 2023, when then-president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) traveled to the landlocked country of about 1.3 million people.
Taiwan has sent an anti-viral drug that helped the king recover from COVID-19 in 2021 and provided aid to the nation.
Eswatini was left as Taipei’s last African ally in 2018 when Burkina Faso switched diplomatic recognition to Beijing.
Additional reporting by Reuters and CNA
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