Taiwanese leader William Lai Ching-te was forced to postpone a visit to the island’s last African partner after three other nations abruptly refused to allow his aircraft to fly over their territory, in a move Taipei blamed on pressure from Beijing.
This is the first time any Taiwanese leader has had to delay an overseas visit at the last minute, Lai’s office said.
He had been due to depart on Wednesday for a five-day trip to eSwatini, the sole African country that maintains official diplomatic ties with Taiwan, to attend celebrations marking the 40th anniversary of King Mswati III’s accession and his 58th birthday.
But his office announced late on Tuesday that the visit would be “postponed” after the Seychelles, Mauritius and Madagascar cancelled their previously approved overflight permission without warning.
Pan Men-an, secretary general of Lai’s office, said security personnel had reassessed the route after the sudden changes and concluded that the trip should be delayed.
Lai will instead appoint a special envoy to attend the celebrations, Pan said.
“The three countries’ decisions are the result of strong pressure from China, including economic coercion,” Pan alleged.
He said such behaviour was “virtually unprecedented internationally”, while accusing Beijing of coercing the countries to take such actions.
“It not only impacts aviation safety and violates relevant international norms and practices, but is also blatant interference in the internal affairs of other countries, undermines the regional status quo and hurts the feelings of the Taiwanese people,” he said.
Beijing has not commented.
Beijing sees Taiwan as part of China and has never renounced the use of force to reunite it with the mainland. It also opposes any official exchanges between Taipei and other governments.
Most countries do not recognise self-governed Taiwan as an independent state. But Washington is opposed to any attempt to take the island and is committed to supplying it with weapons.
Eswatini is one of the 12 states that maintain formal ties with Taiwan, and the only one on the African continent. The kingdom has long been a symbolically important partner for the island as Beijing has narrowed the scope of Taipei’s official ties over the past decade.
The postponed visit also highlights the logistical constraints Taiwan’s leaders face when travelling abroad, as many countries avoid steps that could be seen as granting it state-like treatment.
Lai’s trip had been promoted under the theme “Taiwan and eSwatini celebrate together, prosper together”. He had been expected to hold talks with the king and senior officials, while reaffirming bilateral ties.
Lai’s office said Taiwan appreciated help from “like-minded countries” that had helped in recent days to negotiate over the flight issue, but gave no details.
Lai, who took office in May 2024, has made only one overseas trip so far as leader. In late 2024, he visited the Marshall Islands, Tuvalu and Palau, all of which are Pacific island nations. He managed to make a stopover in Hawaii.
Observers said that the setback was a reminder for Lai that even visits to countries with diplomatic ties to Taiwan could get caught up in the broader contest between Taipei and Beijing for international space.