By AFP and Focus | 2026-05-05

Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te returned home from a visit to the island's only African ally, saying Taiwan has the "right to engage with the world" after Taipei accused Beijing of trying to derail his trip.

"Taiwanese people are people of the world; Taiwanese people have the right to engage with the world," Lai said at Taipei's international airport on May 4 after his flight home on the Eswatini king's plane.

"We will not shrink back because of suppression," he added, flanked by Eswatini Deputy Prime Minister Thulisile Dladla, who had flown to Taiwan with him and his delegation.

"Mutual visits between heads of state should be the most ordinary thing, just like when we go out to visit friends, and are a basic right of every country," Lai said.

Lai completed his visit only after incurring a significant diplomatic setback. Taiwan said China had applied "intense pressure" on Seychelles, Mauritius and Madagascar to revoke overflight permits for Lai's original trip to Eswatini, which had been scheduled for April 22-26 to mark the 40th anniversary of King Mswati III's accession to the throne and his 58th birthday.

Global pushback

The United States slammed China's "intimidation campaign" after the blocking of Lai's original trip. British Office Taipei representative Ruth Bradley-Jones and a European Union spokesperson expressed concerns, stressing that decisions over airspace management should not be used to achieve political ends. China's foreign minister rejected the remarks as "baseless accusations."

The cancellation marked the first time a Taiwanese president has aborted an entire overseas tour because of the denial of airspace access. The move signals a new phase in Beijing's campaign to isolate the island internationally.

Sung Wen-Ti, a non-resident fellow with the Atlantic Council's Global China Hub, told Singapore's Lianhe Zaobao that the episode amounted to the "weaponization of the sky" -- the politicization of what has traditionally been a largely apolitical domain of governance.

'Aerial containment'

He described it as a form of "aerial containment" aimed at reducing Taiwan's international salience. After failing to prevent foreign dignitaries from visiting Taiwan, Beijing is now seeking to impede Taiwan's leaders from entering other countries, he said.

Wang Hung-Jen, a political science professor at Taiwan's National Cheng Kung University, told Lianhe Zaobao that when infrastructure or institutions are used as tools of pressure or punishment, they become politicized.

"These key transit points are becoming important tools for weakening an opponent's capabilities without going to war," said Wang.

China claims Taiwan is part of its territory and opposes the self-governed island's participation in international organizations and exchanges with other countries.

Eswatini, a small landlocked kingdom formerly known as Swaziland, is one of 12 countries that still recognize Taiwan. China has persuaded other nations to break diplomatic ties with Taipei.

When Lai could not visit Eswatini in April, Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung flew there in his place. Lai ultimately reached the kingdom on May 2 on the Eswatini king's aircraft, with his departure kept deliberately low profile.

During his weekend stay, he received a briefing on a Taiwanese-funded oil storage facility and toured a convention center where Taiwan plans to develop an industrial park.

A Taiwanese security official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said China had threatened to revoke substantial debt relief granted to Seychelles, Mauritius and Madagascar, halt financing and impose further economic sanctions if the three countries allowed Lai's aircraft to transit their airspace.

On May 1, China extended a zero-tariff policy to all African countries except Eswatini under a policy that it announced last year. It is widely seen as a reprisal for Eswatini's recognition of Taiwan.

On May 2, China's Foreign Ministry accused Lai of making a "stowaway-style escape farce."

Lai's last official overseas trip before this visit was in November 2024, when he visited Taiwan's Pacific allies and transited through the US territory of Guam.