This week brought some unexpected news for the diplomatic relations between Taiwan and Africa as the country’s president decided to postpone his tour to the continent due to airspace denial by a number of nations.
Nowadays, the situation with China and its attempts to spread its influence to all possible directions is alarming people worldwide, Taiwan Africa tour airspace denial especially the question of how far Beijing is ready to go in isolating Taiwan from other countries.
Unannounced Airspace Denials Complicate Things
It is reported that President Lai Ching-te of Taiwan had been planning to visit the African continent on April 22–26. This would have been a very important diplomatic visit to the only ally of Taiwan among the African countries – Eswatini.
But now, the plans are on hold due to some African states’ withdrawal of permission for overflight.
These countries included Seychelles, Mauritius, and Madagascar.
Taiwan Says Chinese “Economic Coercion” Behind Cancellations
According to Taipei, the cancellations were a direct result of pressure from China.
The presidential secretary-general, Pan Meng-an, said that this was a case of economic and political coercion by Beijing that seeks to meddle with the internal affairs of independent states.
According to Pan, not only does such interference threaten regional stability, but it is also part of an overall strategy to diplomatically isolate Taiwan.
Beijing Justifies the Decision
On its part, Beijing congratulated the African countries on their move.
In a press release, the Chinese foreign ministry hailed the African nations for adhering to the “One-China principle,” which stipulates that Beijing is the only legal government of China while denying Taiwan independence.
According to this principle, states that maintain diplomatic relations with China should not have any official contact with Taiwan.
Eswatini Stands Its Ground
Notwithstanding the negative development, however, Eswatini insisted that its diplomatic relations with Taiwan remain intact despite the cancellation of the scheduled visit.
This is because Eswatini is Taiwan’s only remaining African diplomatic partner.
Taiwan’s Diplomatic Sphere Shrinks
Taiwan’s international influence keeps getting smaller thanks to China’s proactive foreign policy efforts.
In recent years, countries such as Nauru, Honduras, and Nicaragua have severed ties with Taipei and recognized Beijing.
Now, there are only 12 countries left in the world with which Taiwan has diplomatic ties, all of them tiny states in Latin America, the Caribbean, and the Pacific.
Geopolitical Trend on the Rise
The last year has seen an escalation of China’s presence in Africa through infrastructure investments and trading deals.
Experts argue that this latest incident is part of a new geopolitical trend – one where economics are leveraged to affect foreign policies.
For Taiwan, this is one more illustration that its foreign policy is embedded in the much bigger picture of global geopolitics.
Conclusion
This incident of the Taiwanese president’s cancelled visit to Africa once again shows how complicated and interconnected modern diplomacy and international politics are.
While Taiwan is still looking to forge relationships with other countries, China’s growing influence, especially in regions like Africa, presents serious obstacles.
As global geopolitics changes, such incidents demonstrate how the international balance of power is shifting to include airspace and access to it.
