Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te said Tuesday he canceled a planned visit to Eswatini after Taipei accused China of pressuring several African countries to deny overflight access to his aircraft.
The small southern African nation of Eswatini is one of only 12 countries to retain formal ties with Chinese-claimed Taiwan. Lai was due to leave on Wednesday for the 40th anniversary of King Mswati III's accession.
Presidential Office Secretary-General Pan Meng-an said the Seychelles, Mauritius, and Madagascar unilaterally revoked flight permits for the presidential aircraft to cross their countries on his journey without prior warning.
"The actual reason was intense pressure exerted by Chinese authorities, including economic coercion," he told a hastily called news conference in Taipei.
China's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. China, which has deep economic and political ties with Africa, says Taiwan is one of its provinces with no right to call itself a country. Speaking to Mozambique's President Daniel Chapo in Beijing on Tuesday, Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged support for the continent and its development needs, according to a state media read-out that did not mention Lai's cancelled visit to Eswatini.
Lai, in a post on his Facebook page, said China's "suppressive actions" demonstrate the threat that authoritarian states pose to the international order, peace, and stability.
"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 added.
Seychelles' foreign affairs ministry told Reuters that the Taiwanese president's plane had not been granted clearance for overflight or landing, in line with the government's longstanding policy of not recognising Taiwan's sovereignty.
"The decision was taken independently and in accordance with established procedures," Aline Morel, senior protocol officer at the ministry, said in an email.
A Madagascar foreign ministry official also confirmed having denied an overflight request. "Malagasy diplomacy recognises only one China. The decision was made in full respect of Madagascar's sovereignty over its airspace," the official said.
Mauritius did not immediately respond to requests for a response.
It would be the first time a Taiwanese president has had to put off an overseas trip due to Chinese pressure. Taiwanese presidents normally have no problems overflying countries with which the island does not have formal relations, but China harbours a particular dislike of Lai, whom it calls a "separatist".
Lai says only Taiwan's people can decide their future, and rejects Beijing's sovereignty claims.
A senior Taiwan security official told Reuters that the government's understanding was that China applied pressure on the Seychelles, Madagascar and Mauritius, threatening economic sanctions, including revoking debt relief.
This would have been Lai's first trip outside Taiwan since November 2024, when he visited the Marshall Islands, Tuvalu, and Palau, and transited through Hawaii and the U.S. territory of Guam.
The last time a Taiwanese president visited Eswatini, formerly known as Swaziland and home to around 1.3 million people, was in 2023, when Tsai Ing-wen made the journey.