Taiwan President Cancels Eswatini Visit Amid Flight Permit Dispute

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Taipei: Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te has cancelled a planned diplomatic visit to Eswatini after three Indian Ocean nations—Seychelles, Mauritius, and Madagascar—unexpectedly revoked his aircraft's flight permits. Taiwan officials have attributed the cancellations to "intense pressure" and economic coercion from China, marking the first publicly known instance of a Taiwanese leader being forced to scrap an international trip due to revoked overflight rights.
The visit, scheduled for April 22 to 26, was intended to celebrate the 40th anniversary of King Mswati III’s accession and his birthday. Eswatini remains Taiwan’s sole diplomatic ally in Africa and one of only 12 nations worldwide to maintain formal ties with the island. While Eswatini expressed regret over the cancellation, the government emphasized that the incident would not alter their longstanding bilateral relationship. Taiwan has since announced that a special envoy will attend the celebrations in the president's place.
Beijing has denied allegations of coercion, instead praising the three nations for their "high appreciation" of the "one China" principle, which asserts that Taiwan is a breakaway province of China. A spokesperson for China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs further dismissed President Lai's official title, stating that the "Republic of China" no longer exists in the world.
In response, President Lai used a statement on X to criticize China’s "coercive actions," arguing that they expose the risks authoritarian regimes pose to the international order. He maintained that Taiwan's resolve to engage globally remains unshaken despite such threats. The incident has also drawn criticism from U.S. lawmakers, with members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and Senator Ted Cruz condemning the permit revocations as a capitulation to the Chinese Communist Party.