EU Urges Against Politicizing Airspace Management; Ministry of Foreign Affairs: China Harms Flight Safety
As the EU calls for avoiding the politicization of airspace management, Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs accused China of politically using airspace management authority to obstruct the Taiwanese President's visit, harming regional flight safety and normal diplomatic exchanges.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 22, 2026 at 15:02
- 🔍 Collected: April 22, 2026 at 15:32 (29 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 22, 2026 at 21:11 (5h 38m after Collected)
Central News Agency
(Taipei, April 22, Central News Agency reporter Yang Yao-ju) Due to some countries canceling flight permits, President Lai Ching-te's visit to Eswatini was temporarily suspended. The EU stated that airspace management should not be a political tool. Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs pointed out today that China's actions harm regional flight safety and normal diplomatic exchanges; Taiwan will continue to deepen cooperation with the EU and like-minded partners to ensure a safe, open, and predictable international flight and diplomatic environment.
Seychelles, Mauritius, and Madagascar unexpectedly canceled special plane flight permits, causing President Lai Ching-te to temporarily suspend his visit to diplomatic ally Eswatini in Africa. An EU spokesperson stated on the 21st that decisions related to airspace management should be transparent and predictable, based on safety and stability considerations, and should not be used as a means to achieve political ends.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a press release this afternoon, expressing sincere gratitude and affirmation for the EU's timely statement and support.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs pointed out that President Lai's original plan to visit Eswatini was a legitimate diplomatic action to deepen bilateral ties and promote cooperation projects. However, China's continuous political pressure to interfere with third countries' exercise of their airspace management authority has adversely affected international civil aviation order and harmed regional flight safety and normal diplomatic exchanges.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasized that as a responsible member of the international community, Taiwan always adheres to relevant international norms and strongly condemns China's interference with international civil aviation operations and legitimate diplomatic interactions among countries through political means. Taiwan will continue to deepen cooperation with the EU and like-minded partners to jointly uphold the rules-based international order and ensure a safe, open, and predictable international flight and diplomatic environment. (Editor: Su Chih-tsung) 1150422
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(Taipei, April 22, Central News Agency reporter Yang Yao-ju) Due to some countries canceling flight permits, President Lai Ching-te's visit to Eswatini was temporarily suspended. The EU stated that airspace management should not be a political tool. Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs pointed out today that China's actions harm regional flight safety and normal diplomatic exchanges; Taiwan will continue to deepen cooperation with the EU and like-minded partners to ensure a safe, open, and predictable international flight and diplomatic environment.
Seychelles, Mauritius, and Madagascar unexpectedly canceled special plane flight permits, causing President Lai Ching-te to temporarily suspend his visit to diplomatic ally Eswatini in Africa. An EU spokesperson stated on the 21st that decisions related to airspace management should be transparent and predictable, based on safety and stability considerations, and should not be used as a means to achieve political ends.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a press release this afternoon, expressing sincere gratitude and affirmation for the EU's timely statement and support.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs pointed out that President Lai's original plan to visit Eswatini was a legitimate diplomatic action to deepen bilateral ties and promote cooperation projects. However, China's continuous political pressure to interfere with third countries' exercise of their airspace management authority has adversely affected international civil aviation order and harmed regional flight safety and normal diplomatic exchanges.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasized that as a responsible member of the international community, Taiwan always adheres to relevant international norms and strongly condemns China's interference with international civil aviation operations and legitimate diplomatic interactions among countries through political means. Taiwan will continue to deepen cooperation with the EU and like-minded partners to jointly uphold the rules-based international order and ensure a safe, open, and predictable international flight and diplomatic environment. (Editor: Su Chih-tsung) 1150422
Choose to stand with facts, every sponsorship you make is a force to protect press freedom.
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Text, images, and videos on this website may not be reproduced, publicly broadcast, or publicly transmitted and used without authorization.