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President Lai Ching-te returned to Taiwan on May 5 after a state visit to Eswatini and said Taiwan would not back down from outside pressure, according to Japan Today/Reuters. Taiwan's Presidential Office said Lai framed the trip as part of Taiwan's right to engage internationally, after an earlier visit plan was disrupted by revoked overflight permissions.
Key developments
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Lai had originally been scheduled to leave for Eswatini on April 22, but Taiwan says Seychelles, Mauritius and Madagascar revoked overflight permissions for his presidential aircraft. Taiwan's Foreign Ministry accused China of applying political pressure and said the incident politicized flight information regions.
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Lai arrived in Eswatini on May 2 on a trip that was not announced in advance. Eswatini is Taiwan's only formal diplomatic ally in Africa and one of 12 countries that maintain official relations with Taipei.
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The visit was tied to celebrations marking the 40th anniversary of King Mswati III's accession. Taiwan's Presidential Office said Lai reviewed cooperation with Eswatini in areas including energy, industry, agriculture, smart healthcare, women's empowerment, and cultural and educational exchanges.
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On the return leg, Reuters reported that Lai took a circuitous route over the southern Indian Ocean to avoid airspace controlled by countries with close ties to Beijing. AP reported that China has not confirmed Taiwan's allegation that it pressured the three countries, while thanking them for supporting Beijing's "one-China" principle.
What to watch
The next question is whether Beijing, Seychelles, Mauritius or Madagascar provide fuller public explanations of the overflight decisions. Taiwan has already treated the episode as more than a scheduling problem, describing it as interference in civil aviation and routine diplomatic travel.
It is also worth watching whether this becomes a new pattern for Taiwan's presidential travel. Lai's successful arrival in Eswatini showed Taipei can still find alternate routes, but the disruption suggests future trips to diplomatic partners may require more secrecy, more complex routing and tighter coordination with host governments.
Sources
Photo by Philippe Yuan on Unsplash
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