Taiwan president postpones Eswatini visit and says China pressured African countries

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TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Taiwan’s president postponed a visit to Africa this week when three countries withdrew permission for him to fly over their territories after pressure from China, his office said Tuesday.

President Lai Ching-te was set to visit Eswatini, Taiwan’s sole remaining diplomatic ally in Africa, from April 22-26.

But flight permits were canceled in island nations along the route, Secretary-General to the president, Pan Meng-an, told journalists in Taipei.

“The cancellation of flight permits by Seychelles, Mauritius and Madagascar without prior warning was actually due to strong pressure from the Chinese authorities, including economic coercion,” Pan said.

China’s alleged pressure “constitutes blatant interference in the internal affairs of other countries, disrupts the regional status quo and hurts the feelings of the Taiwanese people,” he added.

China claims self-ruled Taiwan as its breakaway province, to be retaken by force if necessary, and prohibits countries it has diplomatic relations with from maintaining formal ties with Taipei.

China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement Wednesday that it wanted to express its “high appreciation” for the actions, saying the “relevant countries’ adherence to the one-China principle is in full compliance with international law,” in reference to Beijing’s claims over Taiwan.

The Mauritius government, the Seychelles government and the office of the Madagascar president did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Eswatini's government said in a statement that it regretted that Lai wasn't able to visit but it “does not change the status of our longstanding bilateral relations.”

Over the past few years, Beijing has intensified a campaign of poaching Taiwan’s diplomatic allies, often while financing infrastructure and other projects in the less-developed countries.

Taipei now has diplomatic ties with only 12 countries, almost all smaller nations in Latin America, the Caribbean and the Pacific.

Most recently, the Pacific Island nation of Nauru switched diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China in January 2024, following similar moves by Honduras in 2023 and Nicaragua in 2021.

The last visit by a Taiwanese president to Eswatini was in 2023, when former President Tsai Ing-wen visited the southern African country of 1.2 million people and met with King Mswati III.

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Mistreanu reported from Bangkok. Associated Press writers Nokukhanya Musi in Manzini, Eswatini, and Gerald Imray in Cape Town, South Africa, contributed to this report.