Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te has postponed a planned diplomatic visit to Africa after three island nations abruptly withdrew permission for his aircraft to pass through their airspace, in a move Taipei says was driven by pressure from Beijing.
The president had been scheduled to travel to Eswatini — Taiwan’s last remaining diplomatic ally on the African continent — from April 22 to 26. However, the trip was called off after Seychelles, Mauritius, and Madagascar rescinded previously granted overflight approvals without prior notice.
Speaking in Taipei on Tuesday, Presidential Office Secretary-General Pan Meng-an said the sudden reversals were not routine administrative decisions but the result of external influence.
“The cancellation of flight permits by three countries, Seychelles, Mauritius and Madagascar, without prior warning, was actually due to strong pressure, including economic coercion, from the Chinese authorities,” Pan told reporters.
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China, which claims self-ruled Taiwan as part of its territory, has long opposed any form of official engagement between Taipei and other governments. Beijing insists that countries maintaining diplomatic relations with it must not recognize Taiwan as a sovereign state, a stance known as the “One China” policy.
In recent years, China has intensified efforts to isolate Taiwan internationally, persuading several countries to switch diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing. Today, Taiwan maintains formal ties with only 12 countries, most of them small nations in Latin America, the Caribbean, and the Pacific.
The disruption of Lai’s travel plans highlights the growing challenges Taiwan faces in maintaining its limited diplomatic network. Even routine logistical arrangements such as flight routes can become entangled in geopolitical tensions, particularly when they involve countries with strong economic or political ties to China.
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Eswatini, a small southern African kingdom, remains the only country on the continent that formally recognizes Taiwan — a position that has become increasingly rare as Beijing expands its influence across Africa through trade, investment, and infrastructure projects.
While Taiwan did not immediately announce a rescheduled date for the այց, officials emphasized that engagement with its allies would continue despite mounting pressure.
The episode underscores the broader strategic contest between China and Taiwan for international recognition, where even airspace can become a battleground for influence.
