US criticizes China's pressure on African countries to block Taiwan president's trip

The United States is concerned that several African countries revoked overflight clearances for ‌Taiwan's president at China's behest, the State Department said on Wednesday, calling the incident an abuse of the international civil aviation system, Reuters reported.

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.