Taiwan president cancels trip after African countries close airspace

Taiwan president cancels trip after African countries close airspace7 minutes agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleYvette TanGetty ImagesThis is the first time a Taiwanese leader has had to cancel a foreign trip due to flight permits being revokedTaiwan President Lai Ching-te has cancelled a presidential trip to the African nation of Eswatini, accusing Beijing of putting pressure on its neighbours to bar his aircraft from flying over their territories. Seychelles, Mauritius and Madagascar revoked Lai's overflight permits after "intense pressure" and economic coercion from China, said a Taiwan official. China denied coercion, while praising the three African countries saying it had "high appreciation" for them.This is the first publicly known instance where a Taiwanese leader has had to cancel a foreign trip due to revoked flight permits. Eswatini, formerly known as Swaziland, is Taiwan's only diplomatic ally in Africa.It is one of only 12 nations - many of which are small countries in Latin America or the Pacific - to recognise Taiwan. China adheres to the "one China" principle, in which Beijing asserts sovereignty over Taiwan though many in Taiwan consider themselves to be a sovereign nation. Beijing sees the self-governed island as a breakaway province that will eventually be part of the country, and has not ruled out the use of force to achieve this.The Chinese government has been vocal in its dislike of Lai, whom it has previously described as a "troublemaker" and a "destroyer of cross-strait peace". In a statement on X, Lai criticised China's "coercive actions", saying that it "exposed the risks authoritarian regimes pose to the international order"."No amount of threats or coercion will shake Taiwan's resolve to engage with the world."Eswatini's government said it was regrettable that Lai was unable to visit, but that this would not "change the status...