Several US lawmakers and the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) yesterday condemned the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) for pressuring three African countries to revoke overflight permission for President William Lai (賴清德), forcing the cancelation of his planned state visit to Eswatini this week.
Lai was originally scheduled to fly directly to Taiwan’s only African ally from today to Sunday to celebrate the 40th anniversary of King Mswati III’s accession and his 58th birthday.
However, the unexpected cancelation of overflight rights by the Seychelles, Mauritius and Madagascar forced the trip to be delayed, the Presidential Office announced last night.
Photo: Taipei Times
Eswatini's government said in a statement that it found it regrettable that Lai was unable to visit, but that it "does not change the status of our longstanding bilateral relations.”
Posting on X, Republicans on the US House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee said that the CCP is “yet again” trying to bully Taiwan.
“We stand with Taiwan against this blatant coercion,” it added.
The US House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the US and the CCP also condemned Beijing for pressuring other nations to deny overflight clearance.
“This is not diplomacy; it is economic pressure aimed at isolating a democratic partner," it said.
US Representative Mario Diaz-Balart criticized the three countries for their "weaponization of aviation safety," calling the move reckless and dangerous.
Republican US Senator John Curtis said that China’s tactic of pressuring countries to isolate Taiwan serves as a “stark reminder that authoritarian regimes don’t just restrict freedom at home, but seek to control it abroad.”
Under a China-controlled international order, the actions, speech and basic freedoms of anyone who opposes them would be severely restricted, he said.
Republican US Senator Ted Cruz said that Mauritius had previously sought to expel the UK from the Chagos Islands to serve Chinese interests, and now it is interfering with Taiwan's flights to Africa.
Mauritius has decided to become an ally of the CCP at the expense of US interests, Cruz said.
“They say that's their sovereign decision. The sovereign decision for the US should be to counter their campaigns and hold their officials accountable,” he added.
Republican US Representative Pat Harrigan said that China threatened the three African nations with their debt burdens.
“This is economic warfare and it worked perfectly. Beijing doesn't need to fire a shot when they own half the continent's debt,” he said.
IPAC, a global alliance of nearly 300 lawmakers from more than 40 countries, said that China's coordinated coercion of African nations "reveals a relentless drive to isolate Taiwan, now extending to an attempt to control the skies."
"IPAC stands with President Lai and the people of Taiwan. Like all democratic world leaders, President Lai must be free to engage with partners without interference,” it said. "It is not for Beijing to determine the foreign policy of other countries.”
The EU also raised concerns, saying in an e-mailed statement that “overflight rights are a cornerstone of international civil aviation, and predictability and neutrality in airspace management are critical to safety, commerce and diplomacy.”
"While states exercise sovereignty over their airspace, such decisions should be taken in a transparent and predictable manner, with the primary consideration being aviation safety and operational stability," an unnamed spokesperson said.
"Such decisions should not be taken to achieve political objectives," the EU said, without elaborating.
Additional reporting by AP
Yet again, the Chinese Communist Party is trying to bully Taiwan, a close partner of the United States.
— House Foreign Affairs Committee Majority (@HouseForeignGOP) April 21, 2026
We stand with Taiwan against this blatant coercion. https://t.co/Y2NCRXy9hP
First, Mauritius tried to push the U.K. out of Chagos in favor of China. Now, they're interfering with Taiwan's ability to fly to Africa.
— Senator Ted Cruz (@SenTedCruz) April 21, 2026
Mauritius seems determined to ally with the Chinese Communist Party at the expense of U.S. interests.
They say that's their sovereign…
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