Taiwan president cancels trip after African countries close airspace

Taiwan President Lai Ching-te has cancelled a presidential trip to the African nation of Eswatini, accusing Beijing of putting pressure on its neighbours to bar his aircraft from flying over their territories.

Seychelles, Mauritius and Madagascar revoked Lai's overflight permits after "intense pressure" and economic coercion from China, said a Taiwan official. China denied coercion, while praising the three African countries saying it had "high appreciation" for them.

This is the first publicly known instance where a Taiwanese leader has had to cancel a foreign trip due to revoked flight permits.

Eswatini, formerly known as Swaziland, is Taiwan's only diplomatic ally in Africa.

It is one of only 12 nations - many of which are small countries in Latin America or the Pacific - to recognise Taiwan.

China adheres to the "one China" principle, in which Beijing asserts sovereignty over Taiwan though many in Taiwan consider themselves to be a sovereign nation.

Beijing sees the self-governed island as a breakaway province that will eventually be part of the country, and has not ruled out the use of force to achieve this.

The Chinese government has been vocal in its dislike of Lai, whom it has previously described as a "troublemaker" and a "destroyer of cross-strait peace".

In a statement on X, Lai criticised China's "coercive actions", saying that it "exposed the risks authoritarian regimes pose to the international order".

"No amount of threats or coercion will shake Taiwan's resolve to engage with the world."

Eswatini's government said it was regrettable that Lai was unable to visit, but that this would not "change the status of our longstanding bilateral relationship", according to reports.

Lai was meant to attend a celebration marking the 40th anniversary of King Mswati III's accession.

At a press briefing on Wednesday, a spokesperson of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council said Beijing "appreciated the position and actions of the relevant countries in upholding the one-China principle".

China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs also said that it was "clear...[that] the so-called 'President of the Republic of China' no longer exists in the world", in a reference to Lai's official title in Taiwan.

According to news agency Reuters, Seychelles and Madagascar said they took the decision because they do not recognise Taiwan.

Some in the US have criticised the three countries, with the House Foreign Affairs Committee Majority saying they "stood with Taiwan against this blatant coercion" in a post on X.

US Senator Ted Cruz also criticised Mauritius, saying it seemed "determined to ally with the Chinese Communist Party".