Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te has postponed a planned visit to Eswatini, his country's last remaining diplomatic ally on the African continent, after three countries withdrew overflight permissions for his aircraft under pressure from Beijing.

Pan Meng-an, Secretary-General of Taiwan's Presidential Office, confirmed the cancellation on Tuesday, saying that Seychelles, Mauritius, and Madagascar had revoked flight permits without prior warning. "The cancellation of flight permits by three countries — Seychelles, Mauritius and Madagascar — without prior warning, was actually due to strong pressure, including economic coercion, from the Chinese authorities," Pan told reporters in Taipei. President Lai had been scheduled to travel to Eswatini, a small landlocked kingdom in southern Africa, between 22 and 26 April.

The episode reflects the ongoing and intensifying diplomatic pressure Beijing exerts on countries around the world to isolate Taiwan. China claims the self-governed island as its own territory — a breakaway province to be reunited by force if necessary — and requires all nations that maintain formal diplomatic ties with it to sever relations with Taipei. Over recent years, Beijing has systematically courted Taiwan's remaining allies, persuading several to switch recognition to the People's Republic. Taiwan now maintains formal diplomatic relations with only 12 countries, almost all of them smaller nations in Latin America, the Caribbean, and the Pacific, with Eswatini standing as the sole exception in Africa.

The use of overflight leverage adds a new dimension to Beijing's pressure campaign. By leaning on third-party transit countries rather than Taiwan's direct allies, China was able to make the visit logistically impossible without requiring Eswatini itself to act. The tactic underscores how Beijing is deploying a range of tools — diplomatic, economic, and now logistical — to further shrink Taiwan's international space.

The postponement is a significant setback for President Lai, who took office in 2024 and has faced sustained Chinese pressure since his inauguration. Whether the visit will be rescheduled remains unclear, but the incident highlights the increasingly difficult environment Taiwan faces in maintaining even its most basic diplomatic engagements on the world stage.