Taiwan's Lai Cancels eSwatini Trip Over China Pressure

Taiwan's President William Lai Ching-te canceled a planned five-day visit to eSwatini on Tuesday after three African nations revoked overflight permissions for his aircraft, an action his office attributed to pressure from China.

The trip, scheduled to begin on Wednesday, April 22, would have marked Lai's first overseas journey since taking office and his first to eSwatini, Taiwan's sole remaining diplomatic ally in Africa. The island nation of about 1.3 million people maintains formal ties with Taipei despite Beijing's claims that Taiwan is a breakaway province of China. Lai had intended to attend celebrations for the 40th anniversary of King Mswati III's accession to the throne and the monarch's 58th birthday.

Presidential Office Secretary-General Pan Men-an announced the postponement late Tuesday, citing the sudden withdrawal of flight permits by Seychelles, Mauritius, and Madagascar. "According to our understanding, the cancellation of flight permits... without prior warning was actually due to strong pressure from the Chinese authorities, including economic coercion," a statement from the office said. Security officials reassessed the route and determined the trip could not...