Taiwanese President William Lai's trip to eSwatini has been postponed after Seychelles, Mauritius, and Madagascar abruptly cancelled previously approved overflight permissions. Taipei accuses Beijing of pressuring the three African nations, while Beijing denies economic coercion and thanks them for adhering to the one-China principle. Lai's office cited complex re-routing and safety concerns as reasons to delay the visit and send a special envoy instead.
Lai's office announced late on Tuesday that President William Lai's visit to eSwatini would be postponed after Seychelles, Mauritius, and Madagascar cancelled previously approved overflight permissions for his aircraft without notice.
Taipei accused Beijing of pressuring the three African nations to withdraw the clearance. With re-routing proving complex, Lai's office said safety concerns left no choice but to delay the trip and send a special envoy instead.
Beijing's State Council Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) thanked the three countries for their decision "to adhere to the one-China principle". TAO spokeswoman Zhang Han rejected suggestions that Beijing used economic coercion to derail the trip.
Eswatini remains one of Taiwan's few allies in Africa, highlighting ongoing tensions over Beijing's influence in the Global South.
