Lai Cancels Eswatini Trip as China Blocks Overflight
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- Lai Ching-te cancelled his trip to Eswatini for King Mswati III's 40th anniversary accession celebration after Seychelles, Mauritius, and Madagascar unilaterally revoked flight permits for the presidential aircraft, citing 'intense pressure' from China including economic coercion
- Taiwan's presidential office secretary general Pan Meng-an said the three countries revoked the permits 'without warning,' and a senior Taiwan security official told Reuters China had threatened economic sanctions including revoking debt relief
- Seychelles and Madagascar confirmed the denials, both citing their 'one China' policies; Mauritius did not respond to requests for comment
- This is the first time a Taiwanese president has had to cancel an overseas trip owing to Chinese pressure, and would have been Lai's first trip outside Taiwan since November 2024
- Lai framed China's actions as demonstrating 'the threat authoritarian states posed to international order, peace and stability' and said 'no threat or suppression can change Taiwan's determination to engage with the world'
- Xi Jinping met with Mozambique's president Daniel Chapo in Beijing on Tuesday, pledging support for Africa's development, though Chinese state media did not mention Lai's cancelled visit
- Eswatini is Taiwan's only remaining diplomatic ally in Africa, a status Beijing has long targeted given its deep economic and political ties across the continent
Why it matters: Eswatini is Taiwan's sole remaining African diplomatic ally, making this cancellation a tangible win for Beijing's campaign to shrink Taiwan's international footprint. By leaning on three countries simultaneously — including threats to revoke debt relief — China demonstrated that even routine presidential transit is now a vulnerability for Taiwan, forcing it to choose between sending Lai abroad and risking mid-air embarrassment.
