Taiwan blames pressure from China for nixed Africa trip

Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te said on Tuesday that he was canceling a planned trip to Africa this week after China pressured three countries not to let him fly over their territory.

Lai had been scheduled to visit Eswatini, one of only 12 countries that maintain full diplomatic ties with Taiwan, but Seychelles, Mauritius, and Madagascar revoked his plane's right to use their airspace.

"The actual reason was intense pressure exerted by Chinese authorities, including economic coercion," said Presidential Office Secretary-General Pan Meng-an.

He added that "using coercive means to force a third country to change its sovereign decisions not only undermines aviation safety and violates relevant international norms and practices, it also constitutes a blatant interference in another country's internal affairs, disrupts the regional status quo, and harms the feelings of the people of Taiwan."

The Seychelles and Mauritius did not respond to the allegations, but officials in Madagascar said they only recognize one China, referring to the mainland.

US also restricts Lai's movement

The president had been due to attend the ​40th anniversary of King Mswati III's accession. Eswatini remains Taiwan's only ally in Africa after Burkina Faso switched its allegiance to Beijing in 2018.

China, which claims sovereignty over Taiwan, has spent decades developing influence in Africa with its Belt and Road scheme and other investment initiatives.

But it is not only Beijng that is making it difficult for Lai to get around. Last year, despite Washington ostensibly supporting Taiwan, US President Donald Trump would not let the Taiwanese leader transit through New York in order to reach Latin America.

Edited by: Roshni Majumdar