The EU has raised concerns about overflight rights following the delay of President William Lai’s (賴清德) planned state visit to the Kingdom of Eswatini after three African nations denied overflight clearance for his charter at the last minute.
Taiwanese allies Paraguay and Saint Kitts and Nevis, as well as several US lawmakers and the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) condemned China for allegedly pressuring the countries.
Lai was scheduled to fly directly to Taiwan’s only African ally from yesterday to Sunday to celebrate the 40th anniversary of King Mswati III’s accession and his 58th birthday, but Seychelles, Mauritius and Madagascar suddenly revoked the charter’s overflight rights, the Presidential Office said on Tuesday evening.
Photo: Reuters
“Overflight rights are a cornerstone of international civil aviation, and predictability and neutrality in airspace management are critical to safety, commerce and diplomacy,” an EU spokesperson said in an e-mail on Tuesday. “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.”
“Such decisions should not be taken to achieve political objectives,” the EU said, without elaborating.
The statement came after the Central News Agency asked for comment on the suspension of Lai’s visit, less than one day before he was scheduled to depart.
Photo grab from IPAC X/ twitter
Meanwhile, the Paraguayan Ministry of Foreign Affairs wrote on X that it “condemns China’s pressures and economic coercion that forced the cancelation of flight permits for the official visit of the President of the Republic of China [Taiwan] to Eswatini.”
Paraguay reaffirms its support for Taiwan and the right of nations to freely engage in relations without undue interference, it added.
Nevis Premier Mark Brantley, former Saint Kitts and Nevis minister of foreign affairs, shared Lai’s post on X, adding: “Coercive conduct by some countries continues to threaten global security. People across the world just wish to live in peace. Let peace prevail and let all people of goodwill condemn any and all coercive actions from whatever source.”
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.”
Republicans on the US House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs wrote on X that the Chinese Communist Party (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 for the flight.
“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 weaponizing aviation safety, calling the move reckless and dangerous.
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.
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 chosen to become an ally of the CCP at the expense of US interests, he added.
“They say that’s their sovereign decision. The sovereign decision for the US should be to counter their campaigns and hold their officials accountable,” Cruz said.
US Representative Pat Harrigan said China threatened the three African nations through 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.
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