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FollowLai Ching-te Eswatini visit suspension and overflight dispute
Lai's Eswatini trip was suspended after route permissions were withdrawn or denied
Key takeaways
- The immediate trigger was not a public break with Eswatini but the sudden loss of route permissions needed for Lai Ching-te's trip.
- Taipei cast the permit reversals as Chinese coercion, while outside reporting showed transit states grounding their decisions in sovereignty and non-recognition arguments.
- Because Eswatini is Taiwan's last formal African ally, even a disrupted visit carries outsized diplomatic meaning far beyond one canceled itinerary.
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