April 22, 2026 -- The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) strongly refutes statements made by the Foreign Ministries of Seychelles and Madagascar to justify their decision to withdraw overflight permits for the chartered plane of President Lai Ching-te, who was scheduled to travel to the Kingdom of Eswatini on April 22.
Seychelles and Madagascar respectively stated that they did not recognize Taiwan’s sovereignty and held to the “one China principle.” The two countries thereby acquiesced to China’s distorted narrative, which challenges international norms and jeopardizes aviation safety. Their statements fully demonstrate that China was behind the incident.
MOFA condemns China in the strongest possible terms for blatantly interfering in routine international civil aviation operations through political pressure and for politicizing and weaponizing flight information regions.
President Lai Ching-te had been scheduled to lead a delegation to Eswatini, a diplomatic ally of Taiwan in Africa, at the invitation of King Mswati III to attend celebrations for the 40th anniversary of the king’s accession to the throne and his 58th birthday. However, the trip could not proceed as planned after Seychelles, Mauritius, and Madagascar suddenly and without warning withdrew overflight permits for the president’s chartered plane.
MOFA solemnly calls on the international community to pay due attention to China’s long-standing use of economic coercion to force other countries to reverse sovereign decisions. As well as undermining international peace and order, China is overtly interfering in the internal affairs of other nations. Its actions not only threaten Taiwan but also pose a major and far-reaching challenge to the global democratic order and the international rule of law.
MOFA reiterates that the Republic of China (Taiwan) is a sovereign, independent nation. Neither it nor the People’s Republic of China is subordinate to the other. No pronouncement attempting to undermine Taiwan’s sovereign status can alter international recognition of the objective status quo across the Taiwan Strait.
As a sovereign state, the ROC (Taiwan) has the right to engage with the international community. This right cannot be denied or obstructed by any country. Taiwan thanks Eswatini and other diplomatic allies and like-minded nations for their assistance with mediation efforts in this matter.
Taiwan will continue to deepen collaboration with like-minded nations, uphold democratic values, and further expand its international participation in a pragmatic and steady manner. In the face of external pressure, the country remains unwavering in its commitment to bringing Taiwan to the world and the world to Taiwan.
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