Source: Republic of China Taiwan
April 24, 2026
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) sincerely thanks the US administration and Congress for their statements expressing concern over recent interference in President Lai Ching-te’s planned visit to Eswatini and urging China to stop suppressing Taiwan. These timely statements conveyed clear support of Taiwan and condemned China for pressuring African countries to disrupt overseas visits of high-level Taiwan officials.
A spokesperson of the US Department of State responded promptly to the situation, stating that related African countries had acted at the behest of China by interfering in the safety and dignity of routine travel by Taiwan officials. The spokesperson stressed that these countries’ responsibility in managing international airspace within their respective flight information regions that extended beyond their sovereign airspace was solely to ensure aviation safety and should not serve as a political tool for Beijing.
The State Department pointed out that this was yet another case of Beijing waging its intimidation campaign against Taiwan and its supporters around the world, abusing the international civil aviation system, and threatening international peace and prosperity. It urged Beijing to cease its military, diplomatic, and economic pressure against Taiwan and instead engage in meaningful dialogue. Raymond Greene, Director of the American Institute in Taiwan, echoed the State Department’s position.
Furthermore, leaders of key committees in both the Senate and the House of Representatives from across the political aisle actively spoke up for Taiwan. For instance, Jim Risch (R-ID), Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, stated that the United States should not allow China to normalize such behavior. Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on the Budget, emphasized that supporting Taiwan’s democracy required firm opposition to Beijing’s coercion and bullying. Brian Mast (R-FL), Chairperson of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, condemned China’s bullying of Taiwan, a close US partner, and said that the United States would stand with Taiwan to counter such blatant threats.
Several other members of Congress also publicly expressed concern. Among them were chairpersons of three subcommittees of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee: Ted Cruz (R-TX) (Africa and Global Health Policy); Pete Ricketts (R-NE) (East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy); and John Curtis (R-UT) (Western Hemisphere, Transnational Crime, Civilian Security, Democracy, Human Rights, and Global Women’s Issues).
Rick Scott (R-FL), Chairperson of the Subcommittee on Seapower of the Senate Armed Services Committee; Mario Díaz-Balart (R-FL), Cochair of the Congressional Taiwan Caucus; and John Moolenaar (R-MI), Chairperson of the House Select Committee on China also made public comments concerning the issue.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung welcomes these statements and thanks the United States and like-minded partners for standing up for Taiwan. He reiterates that the Republic of China (Taiwan) is a sovereign and independent country and has the right to conduct normal diplomatic exchanges with diplomatic allies and other international partners.
Furthermore, MOFA strongly condemns China’s politically motivated interference in international civil aviation operations and in Taiwan’s legitimate diplomatic interactions with other countries. Taiwan will continue to maintain close coordination with the US administration, Congress, and like-minded partners so as to jointly safeguard international civil aviation safety and protect peace, stability, and prosperity across the Taiwan Strait and the Indo-Pacific region.