China praises countries blocking Taiwan president’s overflight route

Beijing applauded countries that revoked overflight permission for the aircraft carrying Taiwan President Lai Ching-te, casting the episode as proof that the one-China principle remained “the norm of international relations.” The move turned a technical aviation decision into a political signal, widening the pressure on Taiwan as it tried to maintain ties with the few governments that still recognize it.

Taiwan’s presidential office said Seychelles, Mauritius and Madagascar revoked the permits without prior warning, forcing Lai to cancel a planned trip to Eswatini. Taipei said China had exerted intense pressure and may have used economic coercion; Beijing denied that accusation. Lai said on Facebook that he had accepted advice from his national security team to postpone the trip, adding that “No threats or repression can change Taiwan’s determination to engage with the world.”

The visit had been scheduled for April 22 to 26 and was meant to mark King Mswati III’s 40th anniversary of accession and his 58th birthday. Eswatini is Taiwan’s only diplomatic ally in Africa and one of just 12 countries that still maintain formal ties with Taipei, giving the trip outsized symbolic weight far beyond its ceremonial purpose. Taiwan said it would send a special envoy to the celebrations on Lai’s behalf.

The cancellation was especially significant because it was described as the first time a sitting Taiwanese president had been forced to abandon an overseas trip because of revoked flight permits. That made the routing dispute a measure of Taiwan’s shrinking diplomatic space, not simply a setback in travel logistics. For Taipei, the blocked overflight route exposed how even routine aviation approvals can be used as leverage in the contest over recognition and legitimacy.

The episode also fit a familiar pattern in which Beijing seeks to narrow Taiwan’s international room by shaping how other states treat the island in day-to-day dealings. King Mswati III visited Taiwan for Lai’s inauguration in 2024, and Tsai Ing-wen last traveled to Eswatini in 2023. By praising countries that blocked the route, Beijing signaled that cooperation on flight permissions and other technical matters can carry political consequences, especially in Africa, where Taiwan’s remaining partnerships are few and Beijing’s influence is substantial.