Lai's Eswatini visit suspended due to China pressure: Presidential Office

Taipei, April 21 (CNA) President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) has suspended his planned visit to Eswatini, Taiwan's only ally in Africa, Presidential Office Secretary-General Pan Men-an (潘孟安) said Tuesday, less than a day before the president was scheduled to depart on the five-day trip.

At an impromptu news conference, Pan said the Presidential Office was forced to suspend the visit, Lai's second overseas trip since taking office on May 20, 2024, due to "economic coercion" by China.

According to Pan, Seychelles, Mauritius, and Madagascar -- nations along the flight path of the chartered plane that Lai, his national security team and the press corps were scheduled to take -- "unexpectedly and without justification rescinded overflight permission."

He did not say whether a new date would be considered for the trip, but described China's move as "unprecedented."

Lai previously toured diplomatic allies in the Pacific in late 2024, visiting the Marshall Islands, Tuvalu, and Palau, while making transit stops in the U.S. state of Hawaii and the U.S. territory of Guam.