President Lai's Visit to Eswatini Obstructed, International Dignitaries Condemn Beijing
President Lai Ching-te's planned visit to Eswatini was obstructed due to the sudden cancellation of flight permits by several countries. The U.S. Congress, EU, and Paraguay condemned Beijing for weaponizing flight safety and attempting to isolate democratic partners through economic coercion.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 22, 2026 at 11:12
- 🔍 Collected: April 22, 2026 at 11:31 (19 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 28, 2026 at 22:49 (155h 17m after Collected)
Central News Agency
(Central News Agency, Taipei, 22nd) President Lai Ching-te was originally scheduled to visit diplomatic ally Eswatini on the 22nd, but flight permits for President Lai's special plane were canceled by some countries along the route. The U.S. Congress, the European Union, and diplomatic ally Paraguay have all condemned Beijing for weaponizing flight safety and attempting to isolate democratic partners through economic coercion.
President Lai was originally scheduled to fly directly to diplomatic ally Eswatini in Africa on the 22nd, but the trip was temporarily suspended due to the unexpected cancellation of flight permits for the special plane by the island nations of Seychelles, Mauritius, and Madagascar.
The U.S. House Select Committee on China condemned China on social media platform X for pressuring other countries to deny President Lai transit flights, criticizing this as economic coercion rather than diplomatic means, aiming to isolate democratic partners, and reaffirmed U.S. support for Taiwan's right to free international exchanges.
Republicans on the House Foreign Affairs Committee tweeted that the Chinese Communist Party once again pressured and bullied Taiwan, emphasizing that the U.S. stands with Taiwan against such blatant acts of coercion.
Republican U.S. Senator Ted Cruz also posted, pointing out that Mauritius recently attempted to expel the UK from the Chagos Archipelago and interfered with Taiwan's flight arrangements to Africa, indicating Mauritius's alignment with the Chinese Communist Party, which could harm U.S. interests. He advocated for U.S. action to counteract this and hold Mauritian officials accountable.
Republican U.S. Senator John Curtis also posted on X, stating that China's pressure on countries to isolate Taiwan once again highlights that authoritarian regimes not only restrict freedom domestically but also attempt to expand control externally; and warned that if China dominates the international order, basic freedoms of speech and action could be limited.
Mario Diaz-Balart, co-chair of the House Congressional Taiwan Caucus, pointed out that Beijing once again provoked Taiwan, this time by pressuring other countries to obstruct flight paths. The capitulation of Seychelles, Mauritius, and Madagascar to Beijing's pressure is not only shameful, but weaponizing flight safety is both reckless and dangerous.
Republican Representative Pat Harrigan wrote that China threatened three African countries with debt, and these countries then blocked Taiwan's president from entering their airspace. This is a perfect economic war, requiring no bullets, because Beijing holds over half the debt of African countries.
Paraguay's Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement condemning China's pressure and economic coercion that led to the cancellation of President Lai's flight permit to Eswatini. Paraguay reaffirmed its support for Taiwan and the right of all countries to free interaction without undue interference.
A spokesperson for the European Union (EU) stated that decisions related to airspace management should be transparent and predictable, based on safety and stability, and should not be used as a means to achieve political ends.
The spokesperson noted that although countries have sovereignty over their airspace, relevant decisions should be based on transparency and predictability, with aviation safety and operational stability as primary considerations. Such decisions should not be used as a means to achieve political ends.
The Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC), connecting over 300 parliamentarians globally, pointed out that this incident demonstrates Beijing's relentless efforts to isolate Taiwan, and IPAC firmly supports the people of Taiwan.
IPAC's statement emphasized that, like all democratically 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 policy, and Beijing has no right to interfere. IPAC firmly supports President Lai and the people of Taiwan. (Translator: Li Pei-shan) 1150422
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(Central News Agency, Taipei, 22nd) President Lai Ching-te was originally scheduled to visit diplomatic ally Eswatini on the 22nd, but flight permits for President Lai's special plane were canceled by some countries along the route. The U.S. Congress, the European Union, and diplomatic ally Paraguay have all condemned Beijing for weaponizing flight safety and attempting to isolate democratic partners through economic coercion.
President Lai was originally scheduled to fly directly to diplomatic ally Eswatini in Africa on the 22nd, but the trip was temporarily suspended due to the unexpected cancellation of flight permits for the special plane by the island nations of Seychelles, Mauritius, and Madagascar.
The U.S. House Select Committee on China condemned China on social media platform X for pressuring other countries to deny President Lai transit flights, criticizing this as economic coercion rather than diplomatic means, aiming to isolate democratic partners, and reaffirmed U.S. support for Taiwan's right to free international exchanges.
Republicans on the House Foreign Affairs Committee tweeted that the Chinese Communist Party once again pressured and bullied Taiwan, emphasizing that the U.S. stands with Taiwan against such blatant acts of coercion.
Republican U.S. Senator Ted Cruz also posted, pointing out that Mauritius recently attempted to expel the UK from the Chagos Archipelago and interfered with Taiwan's flight arrangements to Africa, indicating Mauritius's alignment with the Chinese Communist Party, which could harm U.S. interests. He advocated for U.S. action to counteract this and hold Mauritian officials accountable.
Republican U.S. Senator John Curtis also posted on X, stating that China's pressure on countries to isolate Taiwan once again highlights that authoritarian regimes not only restrict freedom domestically but also attempt to expand control externally; and warned that if China dominates the international order, basic freedoms of speech and action could be limited.
Mario Diaz-Balart, co-chair of the House Congressional Taiwan Caucus, pointed out that Beijing once again provoked Taiwan, this time by pressuring other countries to obstruct flight paths. The capitulation of Seychelles, Mauritius, and Madagascar to Beijing's pressure is not only shameful, but weaponizing flight safety is both reckless and dangerous.
Republican Representative Pat Harrigan wrote that China threatened three African countries with debt, and these countries then blocked Taiwan's president from entering their airspace. This is a perfect economic war, requiring no bullets, because Beijing holds over half the debt of African countries.
Paraguay's Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement condemning China's pressure and economic coercion that led to the cancellation of President Lai's flight permit to Eswatini. Paraguay reaffirmed its support for Taiwan and the right of all countries to free interaction without undue interference.
A spokesperson for the European Union (EU) stated that decisions related to airspace management should be transparent and predictable, based on safety and stability, and should not be used as a means to achieve political ends.
The spokesperson noted that although countries have sovereignty over their airspace, relevant decisions should be based on transparency and predictability, with aviation safety and operational stability as primary considerations. Such decisions should not be used as a means to achieve political ends.
The Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC), connecting over 300 parliamentarians globally, pointed out that this incident demonstrates Beijing's relentless efforts to isolate Taiwan, and IPAC firmly supports the people of Taiwan.
IPAC's statement emphasized that, like all democratically 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 policy, and Beijing has no right to interfere. IPAC firmly supports President Lai and the people of Taiwan. (Translator: Li Pei-shan) 1150422
Choose to stand with the facts. Your every sponsorship is the power to protect press freedom.
Download the Central News Agency "First-Hand News" APP to get the latest news in real time.
The text, images, and videos on this website may not be reproduced, publicly broadcast, or publicly transmitted and used without authorization.