The US is concerned about the fact that several African countries have revoked overflight authorizations for Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te at the behest of China, the State Department said on Wednesday (22), classifying the move as an abuse of the international civil aviation system.
Taiwan said this week that the Seychelles, Mauritius and Madagascar had unilaterally revoked flight authorizations for its presidential aircraft to cross their airspace on a planned trip to Eswatini, formerly known as Swaziland, one of Taiwan’s allies.
It is the first case in which a Taiwanese president has had to cancel an entire trip abroad due to denial of access to airspace, representing a new Chinese strategy as it intensifies efforts to stifle those from engaging internationally.
“These countries are acting at the behest of China, interfering with the security and dignity of Taiwan officials’ routine travel,” a State Department spokesperson told Reuters, without naming the African island nations.
The U.S. official said these countries’ management responsibility for certain international airspace beyond their sovereign airspace was “solely to ensure aviation security, not to serve as a political tool for Beijing.”
“This is yet another case of Beijing carrying out its actions and its supporters around the world, abusing the international civil aviation system and threatening international peace and prosperity,” the official said.
Beijing must cease military, diplomatic and economic pressure against Taiwan, the official added.
A senior Taiwanese security official told Reuters that China had put pressure on the Seychelles, Madagascar and Mauritius, threatening economic sanctions, including the revocation of debt forgiveness.
China’s Taiwan Affairs Office denied the allegation but expressed appreciation for the three countries’ stance and “practice” in adhering to the one-China principle.
China considers democratically governed Taiwan its territory despite , and often calls the issue a “red line” in its diplomatic relations with other countries.
The small nation of Eswatini, in southern Africa, is one of 12 countries that maintain formal ties with Taiwan, claimed by China. Lai was due to leave on Wednesday for the 40th anniversary of the accession of King Mswati III.
The last time a Taiwanese president visited Eswatini, home to about 1.3 million people, was in 2023, when Tsai Ing-wen made the trip.
Several US lawmakers also condemned China for the move and expressed support for Taiwan. The US has no formal ties with Taiwan but is its biggest international supporter and arms supplier.
