President Lai postpones visit to Eswatini; TPP: Stern protest against China
President Lai Ching-te's planned trip to Eswatini was delayed after China pressured three African nations to revoke flight clearances. The TPP strongly condemned China's actions.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 21, 2026 at 20:09
- 🔍 Collected: April 21, 2026 at 20:32 (23 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 22, 2026 at 05:08 (8h 35m after Collected)
Taipei, April 21 (CNA) -- The Taiwan People's Party (TPP) stated today that after the Presidential Office announced the postponement of President Lai Ching-te's scheduled visit to Eswatini—due to China pressuring three African countries to cancel flight permissions—the TPP expresses its stern protest and condemnation against China. The party noted that such suppression and threats not only "severely trample on our country's sovereignty and interfere in our domestic affairs" but also do nothing to help the development of cross-strait relations.
President Lai was originally scheduled to visit the African ally, the Kingdom of Eswatini, from April 22 to 27. Presidential Office Secretary-General Pan Men-an held an impromptu press conference in the evening, stating that the presidential chartered flight's route via Seychelles, Mauritius, and Madagascar had its flight clearances temporarily canceled. Considering the safety of the head of state and the flight safety of the delegation, it was decided to postpone the trip. President Lai will instead appoint a special envoy to attend Eswatini's dual celebration events.
The TPP stated through a media group that if the Chinese Communist Party continues to unreasonably compress Taiwan's diplomatic space and intimidate the Taiwanese people, it will yield no benefits for cross-strait and regional relations, nor for global peace. It will not aid in healthy cross-strait exchanges but will only exacerbate tensions in the Taiwan Strait and push the Taiwanese people further in the opposite direction.
The TPP said it fully supports the government's continued steady promotion of diplomacy, elevation of Taiwan's international visibility, and maintenance of relations with allied nations. Concurrently, it once again calls on China to stop utilizing coercive measures to belittle Taiwan's sovereignty.
The TPP expressed that cross-strait peace should be built through healthy and orderly economic, trade, and cultural exchanges to increase mutual trust and reduce conflicts. It will firmly defend national sovereignty and diplomatic space, and will absolutely not back down under any threats or intimidation. Only by engaging in dialogue under the prerequisites of parity and dignity can the only righteous path to maintaining peace in the Taiwan Strait be sustained.
President Lai was originally scheduled to visit the African ally, the Kingdom of Eswatini, from April 22 to 27. Presidential Office Secretary-General Pan Men-an held an impromptu press conference in the evening, stating that the presidential chartered flight's route via Seychelles, Mauritius, and Madagascar had its flight clearances temporarily canceled. Considering the safety of the head of state and the flight safety of the delegation, it was decided to postpone the trip. President Lai will instead appoint a special envoy to attend Eswatini's dual celebration events.
The TPP stated through a media group that if the Chinese Communist Party continues to unreasonably compress Taiwan's diplomatic space and intimidate the Taiwanese people, it will yield no benefits for cross-strait and regional relations, nor for global peace. It will not aid in healthy cross-strait exchanges but will only exacerbate tensions in the Taiwan Strait and push the Taiwanese people further in the opposite direction.
The TPP said it fully supports the government's continued steady promotion of diplomacy, elevation of Taiwan's international visibility, and maintenance of relations with allied nations. Concurrently, it once again calls on China to stop utilizing coercive measures to belittle Taiwan's sovereignty.
The TPP expressed that cross-strait peace should be built through healthy and orderly economic, trade, and cultural exchanges to increase mutual trust and reduce conflicts. It will firmly defend national sovereignty and diplomatic space, and will absolutely not back down under any threats or intimidation. Only by engaging in dialogue under the prerequisites of parity and dignity can the only righteous path to maintaining peace in the Taiwan Strait be sustained.