US urged to act over Chinese pressure

The US Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Thursday urged Washington not to normalize Chinese pressure, while a US lawmaker called on the US government to hold countries accountable for yielding to Beijing’s pressure to block President William Lai’s planned trip to Eswatini.

Lai had been scheduled to visit Eswatini to attend birthday events for King Mswati III of Eswatini this week, but on Tuesday, the eve of his planned departure on Wednesday, the Presidential Office said the trip was “suspended” after the Seychelles, Mauritius and Madagascar unexpectedly withdrew overflight permission.

“China reportedly pressured Mauritius, Seychelles, and Madagascar to deny airspace access to Taiwan’s President Lai, escalating Beijing’s campaign to isolate Taiwan,” the committee wrote on X.

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