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 on Wednesday for the 40th anniversary of King Mswati III’s accession.
Presidential office secretary-general Pan Meng-an said the Seychelles, Mauritius, and Madagascar unilaterally revoked flight permits for the presidential aircraft to cross their countries on his journey without prior warning.
“The actual reason was intense pressure exerted by Chinese authorities, including economic coercion,” he told a hastily called news conference in Taipei.
Madagascar says overflight denied
China’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
China, which has deep economic and political ties with Africa, says Taiwan is one of its provinces with no right to call itself a country.
Speaking to Mozambique president Daniel Chapo in Beijing today, Chinese president Xi Jinping pledged support for the continent and its development needs, according to a state media read-out that did not mention Lai’s cancelled visit to Eswatini.
Lai, in a post on his Facebook page, said China’s “suppressive actions” demonstrate the threat that authoritarian states pose to the international order, peace and stability.
“No threat or suppression can change Taiwan’s determination to engage with the world, nor can it negate Taiwan’s ability to contribute to the international community,” he added.
A Madagascar foreign ministry official told Reuters the overflight request had been denied.
“Malagasy diplomacy recognises only one China. The decision was made in full respect of Madagascar’s sovereignty over its airspace,” the official said.
The Seychelles government declined to comment and Mauritius did not immediately respond to requests for a response.
China’s dislike of Lai
It would be the first time a Taiwan president has had to put off an overseas trip due to Chinese pressure.
Taiwan presidents normally have no problems overflying countries with which the island does not have formal relations, but China has an especial dislike of Lai, whom it calls a “separatist”.
Lai says only Taiwan’s people can decide their future, and rejects Beijing’s sovereignty claims.
A senior Taiwan security official told Reuters that the government’s understanding was that China applied pressure on the Seychelles, Madagascar and Mauritius, threatening economic sanctions including revoking debt relief.
This would have been Lai’s first trip outside Taiwan since November 2024, when he visited the Marshall Islands, Tuvalu, and Palau, and transited through Hawaii and the US territory of Guam.
The last time a Taiwanese president visited Eswatini, formerly known as Swaziland and home to around 1.3 million people, was in 2023, when Tsai Ing-wen made the journey.