Taiwanese President Cancels Africa Trip, Blaming CCP’s ‘Coercion’

‘No threat ​or suppression can change Taiwan’s determination to engage with the world,’ President Lai Ching-te says.

Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te speaks during an interview with AFP at the Presidential Office Building in Taipei on Feb. 10, 2026. Yu Chen Cheng/ AFP via Getty Images

TAIPEI—Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te said on Tuesday he ‌had canceled his trip to Eswatini this week, after his government accused the Chinese regime of pressuring three other African countries to revoke permission for his aircraft ‌to fly over their territories.

The small southern African nation of ⁠Eswatini is one of only 12 countries to retain formal ties with Taiwan. Lai was due to leave on Wednesday for the 40th anniversary of King Mswati III’s accession.