US criticizes China’s pressure on African countries to block Taiwan president’s trip
Taiwan this week said Seychelles, Mauritius and Madagascar had unilaterally revoked flight permits for the presidential plane to cross airspace they manage on a planned trip to Eswatini, one of Taiwan’s allies.
This is the first instance in which a Taiwanese president has been forced to cancel an entire foreign trip due to being denied access to its airspace, and represents a new Chinese strategy that is stepping up efforts to suppress the island’s international engagement efforts.
Also read: Shifts in policy blur US stance on China ahead of Trump-Xi meeting
“These countries are acting at the behest of China by interfering with the security and dignity of routine travel by Taiwan officials,” a State Department spokesman told Reuters, without naming the African island countries.
The U.S. official said those countries’ responsibility for managing certain international airspace beyond their own sovereign airspace “is solely to ensure aviation security, not to serve as a political tool for Beijing.”
“This is yet another example of Beijing waging an 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. The official added that Beijing should end military, diplomatic and economic pressure on Taiwan.
EU AND UK ANNOUNCED THEIR CONCERNS
A senior Taiwanese security official told Reuters that China was putting pressure on Seychelles, Madagascar and Mauritius and threatening economic sanctions, including debt cancellation.
China’s Taiwan Affairs Office rejected the claim but expressed appreciation for the three countries’ position and “implementation” in adhering to the one-China principle.
Also read: US tightens chip export controls, curbs China’s tech rise
The European Union and Britain’s de facto ambassador to Taiwan, Ruth Bradley-Jones, also expressed concern.
An EU spokesman said: “As states exercise their sovereignty over their airspace, such decisions must be taken in a transparent and predictable manner.” he said. “Such decisions should not be taken to achieve political goals.”
In a separate statement, Bradley-Jones said airspace management decisions should put safety and stability first and “should not be made for political purposes.”
China considers democratically governed Taiwan to be its own territory, despite Taipei denying the claim, and often calls the issue a “red line” in its diplomatic relations with other countries.
South Africa’s tiny country of Eswatini is one of 12 countries that maintain official ties with Taiwan, which is claimed by China. Lai, King III. He was due to depart on Wednesday to mark the 40th anniversary of Mswati’s accession to the throne.
The last time a Taiwanese president visited Eswatini, formerly known as Swaziland and home to about 1.3 million people, was in 2023, when Tsai Ing-wen made the trip.
Many US lawmakers also condemned China for this move and expressed their support for Taiwan. The United States does not have official ties with Taiwan, but it is Taiwan’s largest international supporter and arms supplier.
