China on Wednesday praised three African countries for refusing to allow Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te’s aircraft to pass through their airspace, a move that forced him to cancel a planned trip to Eswatini. Taipei, in response, condemned what it described as their “servitude” to Beijing.
It is the first instance of a Taiwan president having to cancel a foreign trip due to denial of airspace access, as China steps up efforts to stifle the island’s attempts at building diplomatic ties.
Lai’s Africa Trip Interrupted
Lai had been due to leave for the small southern African kingdom, one of just 12 countries with diplomatic ties to Chinese-claimed Taiwan, but the previous night, Taiwan said his visit had to be delayed.
Taiwan said Seychelles, Mauritius, and Madagascar had revoked permission for Lai’s aircraft to fly over their territories.
Lai said China had used economic “coercion” to get their cooperation – a claim denied by a spokesperson for China’s Taiwan Affairs Office.
China’s Appreciation
Zhang Han, the spokesperson, expressed appreciation for the position and “practice” of the three countries in adhering to the one-China principle.
China views democratically-governed Taiwan as its territory despite Taipei’s rejection of the claim, and frequently calls the issue a “red line” in its diplomatic relations with other countries.
In a separate statement, China’s foreign ministry said it was clear there was “no longer a so-called Republic of China president in the world anymore”, referring to Taiwan by its formal name.
Madagascar and the Seychelles said they took the decision because they do not recognise Taiwan.
The cancellation of the Taiwan president’s visit did not alter Eswatini’s longstanding two-way ties with the island, said acting government spokesperson Thabile Mdluli.
Taiwan Condemns China
China has a special dislike of Lai, whom it calls a “separatist”. He rejects Beijing’s sovereignty claims and says Taiwan has a right to engage with the rest of the world.
Taiwan has condemned China’s actions.
On Wednesday, its foreign ministry described the comments by Seychelles and Madagascar as being “in servitude to China”.
Though the U.S. State Department has yet to comment, several U.S. lawmakers expressed concern.
The move comes a little more than a week after China rolled out new incentives for Taiwan, including the easing of food imports, after opposition leader Cheng Li-wun, chairwoman of the Kuomintang (KMT), met President Xi Jinping in Beijing.
The KMT, which is often at odds with Lai’s government, called on China to exercise restraint and give Taiwan sufficient diplomatic space.
(With inputs from Reuters)
