Less than 24 hours before takeoff, three governments pulled the permits. That is how Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te lost his trip to Eswatini.
Seychelles, Mauritius and Madagascar each revoked clearance for the charter plane that was to carry Lai across the Indian Ocean. Taipei says Beijing leaned on them. Presidential Office Secretary-General Pan Meng-an told a hastily called news conference that “the actual reason was intense pressure exerted by Chinese authorities, including economic coercion.”
A senior Taiwan security official told Reuters the government understood China had threatened economic sanctions, among them the withdrawal of debt relief. Taiwanese officials said the approvals vanished within hours of one another, and the security team judged that rerouting would put the president, his delegation and the aircraft at risk. Lai stayed home.
What each government said
None of the three offered a long explanation. Seychelles’ foreign ministry told Reuters the plane had been cleared neither to overfly nor to land, in keeping with a longstanding policy of not recognising Taiwan’s sovereignty. Aline Morel, a senior protocol officer there, wrote that the decision “was taken independently and in accordance with established procedures.” A Madagascar foreign ministry official confirmed a denial too: “Malagasy diplomacy recognises only one China.” Mauritius did not immediately respond.
China denied applying any pressure, though it publicly praised the three countries for their decisions. Beijing’s foreign ministry also brushed off a Taiwanese diplomatic protest and called Lai’s withdrawal proof that the world recognises one China.
A trip that mattered
Eswatini, home to around 1.3 million people, is Taiwan’s only ally in Africa and one of 12 states that recognise Taipei. Lai was due to join celebrations for the 40th anniversary of King Mswati III’s accession. It would have been his first trip abroad since November 2024, when he visited the Marshall Islands, Tuvalu and Palau. Reuters noted it would be the first time a Taiwanese president had to put off an overseas trip because of Chinese pressure.
Taiwan has no long-range aircraft of its own for such journeys. The presidential Boeing 737-800, Air Force 3701, handles shorter regional flights, so intercontinental visits mean chartering. A flight to Eswatini crosses flight information regions in South and Southeast Asia, the Indian Ocean and southern Africa, and any one state along the way can close the door. Taiwanese presidents normally overfly countries without formal ties with no trouble, but China has shown a particular dislike of Lai, whom it calls a “separatist.”
Lai answered on Facebook. “No threat or suppression can change Taiwan’s determination to engage with the world, nor can it negate Taiwan’s ability to contribute to the international community,” he wrote.
The envoy gets through
Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung went in Lai’s place as special envoy. He reached Eswatini on April 25, 2026, and posted a photo of himself stepping off a private jet, saying his delegation had “overcome all obstacles.” He did not say what route the plane took or who operated it. Lin called the episode a “new form of pressure, politicizing and weaponizing the flight information region.”
Germany’s and France’s de facto embassies in Taipei both issued statements stressing the Chicago Convention and safe, predictable air operations. The European Union, the United Kingdom and the United States have also voiced concern. Lai’s government has set no new date for the visit.
Sources
- Taiwan FM reaches Eswatini after president's overflight row
- African Airspace Denials Ground Taiwan President’s Eswatini Trip as China Tightens Diplomatic Squeeze
- Taiwan leader cancels Eswatini trip amid China pressure claims
Sources
- Taiwan FM reaches Eswatini after president's overflight row
- African Airspace Denials Ground Taiwan President’s Eswatini …
