Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te had been scheduled to visit the African kingdom of Eswatini this week, but the trip was called off after he was unable to obtain permission to fly over the territories of Seychelles, Mauritius, and Madagascar.
A Taiwanese official said the three countries had denied the request because of strong pressure and economic leverage from China.
Beijing, however, denied that claim and praised the three Indian Ocean nations for respecting the “one China” principle.
This is the first publicly known case in which a leader of Taiwan has cancelled an overseas visit after failing to secure flight clearance.
Eswatini is one of just 12 countries that maintain diplomatic ties with Taiwan, and the only one in Africa.
Taiwanese officials accused the three island nations of revoking permission “suddenly and without notice.”
China considers Taiwan part of its territory and says it must eventually be reunified with Beijing, by force if necessary.
Current President Lai Ching-te supports Taiwan’s sovereignty, and Chinese authorities regularly label him a “separatist” and a “troublemaker for peace across the Taiwan Strait.”
Eswatini, formerly known as Swaziland, said it regretted Lai’s trip being cancelled, but stressed that it would not affect “the long-standing status of relations between our two countries.”
Lai had been due to visit Eswatini from April 22 to 26 to attend events marking the 40th anniversary of King Mswati III’s reign and the king’s birthday celebrations.
Taiwan will now send a special envoy appointed by the president to attend the events instead.
At a press briefing in Beijing on Wednesday, a spokesperson for China’s Taiwan Affairs Office said China “appreciates the stance and actions” of the countries involved, which he said were adhering to the one-China principle.
China’s Foreign Ministry said of the incident that “it is obvious that there is no longer anyone in the world who is called the president of the Republic of China.”
Some U.S. officials have criticized the actions of the authorities in Seychelles, Mauritius, and Madagascar.
Senator Ted Cruz, for example, criticized the Mauritian government, saying it appeared to have “chosen to side with the Chinese Communist Party.”
Source: BBC
