Taiwan president cancels Africa trip after airspace permits revoked

Lai Ching-te's planned visit to Eswatini was halted when three Indian Ocean nations withdrew overflight clearances.

Taiwan President Lai Ching-te cancelled a planned visit to Eswatini this week after Seychelles, Mauritius, and Madagascar revoked his aircraft's right to cross airspace under their management.¹²³ The trip was to have marked the 40th anniversary of King Mswati III's accession in Eswatini, Taiwan's only remaining diplomatic ally in Africa.¹

Presidential Office Secretary-General Pan Meng-an said the cancellations followed "intense pressure exerted by Chinese authorities, including economic coercion."¹ Pan added that the actions undermined aviation safety, violated international norms, and constituted interference in sovereign decisions.¹ This is the first publicly known instance of a Taiwanese leader cancelling a foreign trip due to denied airspace access.²³

China denied coercion but said it had "high appreciation" for the three African nations.² Officials in Madagascar said they recognize only one China, referring to the mainland.¹ Beijing adheres to the "one China" principle, claiming sovereignty over Taiwan, which it views as a breakaway province.² The Chinese government has previously described Lai as a "troublemaker" and "destroyer of cross-strait peace."²

The United States State Department said it was concerned by the incident, calling it "an abuse of the international civil aviation system."³ A department spokesperson said the countries were "acting at the behest of China by interfering in the safety and dignity of routine travel by Taiwan officials," adding that their management of international airspace was meant to ensure aviation safety, not serve as a political tool.³

Eswatini is one of 12 nations that maintain full diplomatic ties with Taiwan, many of them small countries in Latin America or the Pacific.¹² Burkina Faso, Taiwan's last other African ally, switched recognition to Beijing in 2018.¹