Speaking to reporters, Pan Men-an, secretary-general of the Presidential Office, described the sequence of events as ‘completely out of the blue.’ The affected flight route was critical for the charter plane transporting the president, security detail, and press corps to the African kingdom.

President Lai took to social media to lambast the interference, warning that such authoritarian bullying threatens global stability. ‘Ahead of my visit to Eswatini, several countries along our flight path suddenly revoked overflight permissions under Chinese pressure,’ he wrote on X.

The trip, planned from April 24 to 26, was to honor King Mswati III’s 40 years on the throne and his 58th birthday. With objectives centered on shared security growth, economic partnerships, and tech innovation under the banner ‘Celebrate Together, Prosper Together,’ it promised deepened ties.

Taiwan reminded observers of the reciprocity: the king had attended Lai’s inauguration in 2024 after personally extending the invitation via signed letter. Undeterred, Lai vowed that no coercion would halt Taiwan’s outreach to democratic allies worldwide.

This episode highlights Beijing’s relentless campaign to curtail Taiwan’s international footprint, even as the self-governing island persists in building bridges with its few remaining formal diplomatic allies. Eswatini remains one of just 12 nations recognizing Taipei over Beijing.