AfriPulse
By Michael Martina
Taiwan this week said the Seychelles, Mauritius and Madagascar unilaterally revoked flight permits for its presidential aircraft to cross airspace they manage on a planned trip to Eswatini, one of Taiwan’s allies.
It is the first instance of a Taiwan president having to cancel an entire foreign trip due to denial of airspace access, representing a new Chinese strategy as it steps up efforts to stifle the island’s efforts to engage internationally.
“These countries are acting at the behest of China by interfering in the safety and dignity of routine travel by Taiwan officials,” a State Department spokesperson told Reuters, without naming the African island nations.
The U.S. official said those countries’ management responsibility of certain international airspace beyond their sovereign airspace was “solely to ensure aviation safety, not to serve as a political tool for Beijing.”
“This is yet another case of Beijing waging its intimidation campaign against Taiwan and Taiwan’s supporters around the world, abusing the international civil aviation system, and threatening international peace and prosperity,” the official said.
Beijing should cease military, diplomatic, and economic pressure against Taiwan, the official added.
EU, BRITAIN EXPRESS CONCERN
A senior Taiwan security official had told Reuters that China applied pressure on the Seychelles, Madagascar and Mauritius, threatening economic sanctions including revoking debt relief.
China’s Taiwan Affairs Office denied the claim, but expressed appreciation for the position and “practice” of the three countries in adhering to the one-China principle.
The European Union and Britain’s de facto ambassador to Taiwan, Ruth Bradley-Jones, also expressed concern.
“While states exercise sovereignty over their airspace, such decisions should be taken in a transparent and predictable manner,” an EU spokesperson said. “Such decisions should not be taken to achieve political objectives.”
Airspace management decisions about should put safety and stability first, and “should not be made for political ends,” Bradley-Jones said in a separate statement.
China views democratically governed Taiwan as its territory despite Taipei’s rejection of the claim, and frequently calls the issue a “red line” in its diplomatic relations with other countries.
The small southern African nation of Eswatini is one of only 12 countries to retain formal ties with Chinese-claimed Taiwan. Lai was due to leave o
Source: DailyMaverick | Read the Full Story…
