The United States has condemned China for pressuring several African countries into revoking overflight clearances for Taiwan’s presidential aircraft, describing the move as an abuse of the international civil aviation system.
The State Department weighed in on Wednesday after Taiwan confirmed that the Seychelles, Mauritius and Madagascar had unilaterally withdrawn flight permits for its presidential plane to cross airspace they manage. The aircraft was headed to Eswatini, where President Lai Ching-te was expected to attend the Ruby Jubilee celebrations marking His Majesty King Mswati III’s 40th anniversary on the Throne. It marks the first time a Taiwanese president has had to cancel an entire foreign trip due to a denial of airspace access.
“These countries are acting at the behest of China by interfering in the safety and dignity of routine travel by Taiwan officials,” a State Department spokesperson told Reuters, stopping short of naming the three African island nations directly. 
The U.S. official said the countries’ management responsibility over certain international airspace beyond their own sovereign territory existed “solely to ensure aviation safety, not to serve as a political tool for Beijing.”
“This is yet another case of Beijing waging its intimidation campaign against Taiwan and Taiwan’s supporters around the world, abusing the international civil aviation system, and threatening international peace and prosperity,” the official said, calling on Beijing to cease military, diplomatic and economic pressure against Taiwan.
A senior Taiwan security official told Reuters that China had applied pressure on the three countries by threatening economic sanctions, including revoking debt relief. China’s Taiwan Affairs Office denied the claim but expressed appreciation for what it called the three countries’ adherence to the one-China principle.
The European Union also raised concern, with a spokesperson saying that while states exercise sovereignty over their airspace, “such decisions should be taken in a transparent and predictable manner” and “should not be taken to achieve political objectives.” Britain’s de facto ambassador to Taiwan, Ruth Bradley-Jones, echoed that view, saying airspace management decisions “should not be made for political ends.”
Eswatini is one of only 12 countries in the world that still maintain formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan. President Lai had been due to travel to the Kingdom on Wednesday for the 40th anniversary of King Mswati III’s accession to the Throne. The last Taiwanese presidential visit to Eswatini came in 2023, when former President Tsai Ing-wen made the journey to the landlocked Kingdom, home to around 1.3 million people.
China regards democratically governed Taiwan as its territory, a claim Taipei firmly rejects, and frequently describes the issue as a “red line” in its foreign relations. Numerous U.S. lawmakers also condemned the move and expressed support for Taiwan. While Washington does not hold formal ties with Taipei, it remains the island’s biggest international backer and arms supplier.
