Beijing suppresses President Lai's visit to Eswatini; IPAC firmly supports Taiwan
Following China's pressure causing the cancellation of President Lai's flight clearances for his Eswatini trip, the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) condemned Beijing's actions to isolate Taiwan and voiced staunch support for the Taiwanese people.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 21, 2026 at 23:22
- 🔍 Collected: April 21, 2026 at 23:31 (9 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 22, 2026 at 05:08 (5h 36m after Collected)
London, April 21 (CNA) -- President Lai Ching-te was scheduled to visit the allied nation of Eswatini on the 22nd. However, some countries along the route temporarily canceled flight clearances for the presidential chartered plane, resulting in the postponement of the trip. The Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC), a network of over 300 lawmakers globally, stated that this incident demonstrates Beijing's extreme lengths to isolate Taiwan, and that IPAC firmly supports the Taiwanese people.
IPAC released a statement noting that China systematically pressured and coerced several African nations to obstruct President Lai's flight from crossing their airspace. This shows that Beijing will stop at nothing to isolate Taiwan, even attempting to control the airspace of other countries.
The IPAC statement emphasized that, like all elected leaders in the democratic world, President Lai must enjoy the freedom to engage with international partners without interference. Countries have the right to independently determine their foreign policies, and Beijing has no right to dictate them. IPAC firmly supports President Lai and the Taiwanese people.
IPAC connects over 300 parliamentarians from 45 national and regional legislatures around the world, with its African network covering Kenya, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
This year marks the 58th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the Republic of China (Taiwan) and Eswatini. To celebrate the 40th anniversary of King Mswati III's accession to the throne and his 58th birthday, Eswatini is holding a series of celebrations from the 24th to the 26th. President Lai was originally scheduled to fly directly to Eswatini for a visit from the 22nd to the 27th.
However, on the evening of the 21st, Taipei time, Presidential Office Secretary-General Pan Men-an held an impromptu press conference, stating that the presidential chartered flight route passed through Seychelles, Mauritius, and Madagascar, and that these three countries abruptly canceled flight clearances. Considering the safety of the head of state and the delegation, the Presidential Office decided to postpone the trip. President Lai will instead appoint a special envoy to attend Eswatini's celebrations.
The Presidential Office issued a statement explaining that, as understood, the relevant countries unprovokedly canceled the flight clearances without warning. The actual reason was "strong pressure from the Chinese authorities, including economic coercion."
The statement pointed out that this behavior of coercing third countries into altering sovereign decisions is "unprecedented internationally." It not only impacts flight safety and violates relevant international norms and conventions but also blatantly interferes in other countries' internal affairs, disrupts the regional status quo, and hurts the feelings of the Taiwanese people. The Republic of China government "strongly condemns" the brutal actions of the Beijing authorities.
The statement emphasized that "the Republic of China (Taiwan) is a sovereign nation, and Taiwan is the world's Taiwan." The 23 million Taiwanese people have the right to step into the world, and "no country has the power to stop it, nor can they stop it." The Presidential Office also expressed gratitude to like-minded countries that assisted in negotiations over the past few days.
During the press conference, Pan Men-an responded to media questions, noting that the Beijing authorities claim to have goodwill toward Taiwan and desire cross-strait peace, yet they continuously threaten and suppress Taiwan. This incident proves that China's "goodwill is fake, and threats are real."
President Lai stated via social media that no amount of threat or suppression can change Taiwan's resolve to engage with the world, nor can it negate Taiwan's ability to contribute to the international community. The path to the world may occasionally face headwinds, but Taiwan's sincerity in making friends globally will never change due to external obstacles. "We will continue to strive for Taiwan's diplomatic work with steady steps and pragmatic actions."
IPAC released a statement noting that China systematically pressured and coerced several African nations to obstruct President Lai's flight from crossing their airspace. This shows that Beijing will stop at nothing to isolate Taiwan, even attempting to control the airspace of other countries.
The IPAC statement emphasized that, like all elected leaders in the democratic world, President Lai must enjoy the freedom to engage with international partners without interference. Countries have the right to independently determine their foreign policies, and Beijing has no right to dictate them. IPAC firmly supports President Lai and the Taiwanese people.
IPAC connects over 300 parliamentarians from 45 national and regional legislatures around the world, with its African network covering Kenya, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
This year marks the 58th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the Republic of China (Taiwan) and Eswatini. To celebrate the 40th anniversary of King Mswati III's accession to the throne and his 58th birthday, Eswatini is holding a series of celebrations from the 24th to the 26th. President Lai was originally scheduled to fly directly to Eswatini for a visit from the 22nd to the 27th.
However, on the evening of the 21st, Taipei time, Presidential Office Secretary-General Pan Men-an held an impromptu press conference, stating that the presidential chartered flight route passed through Seychelles, Mauritius, and Madagascar, and that these three countries abruptly canceled flight clearances. Considering the safety of the head of state and the delegation, the Presidential Office decided to postpone the trip. President Lai will instead appoint a special envoy to attend Eswatini's celebrations.
The Presidential Office issued a statement explaining that, as understood, the relevant countries unprovokedly canceled the flight clearances without warning. The actual reason was "strong pressure from the Chinese authorities, including economic coercion."
The statement pointed out that this behavior of coercing third countries into altering sovereign decisions is "unprecedented internationally." It not only impacts flight safety and violates relevant international norms and conventions but also blatantly interferes in other countries' internal affairs, disrupts the regional status quo, and hurts the feelings of the Taiwanese people. The Republic of China government "strongly condemns" the brutal actions of the Beijing authorities.
The statement emphasized that "the Republic of China (Taiwan) is a sovereign nation, and Taiwan is the world's Taiwan." The 23 million Taiwanese people have the right to step into the world, and "no country has the power to stop it, nor can they stop it." The Presidential Office also expressed gratitude to like-minded countries that assisted in negotiations over the past few days.
During the press conference, Pan Men-an responded to media questions, noting that the Beijing authorities claim to have goodwill toward Taiwan and desire cross-strait peace, yet they continuously threaten and suppress Taiwan. This incident proves that China's "goodwill is fake, and threats are real."
President Lai stated via social media that no amount of threat or suppression can change Taiwan's resolve to engage with the world, nor can it negate Taiwan's ability to contribute to the international community. The path to the world may occasionally face headwinds, but Taiwan's sincerity in making friends globally will never change due to external obstacles. "We will continue to strive for Taiwan's diplomatic work with steady steps and pragmatic actions."