Taiwan’s president canceled a planned visit to Eswatini after three African countries revoked permissions for his aircraft to pass through their airspace, which Taipei said was due to “intense pressure from China.”

Lai Ching-te had been scheduled to attend celebrations marking the 40th anniversary of King Mswati III’s ascension; Eswatini is the only African country with official diplomatic relations with Taipei. But Seychelles, Mauritius, and Madagascar pulled their overflight clearances; China insists that Taiwan is one of its provinces.

Beijing has since praised the three countries, saying “a just cause enjoys abundant support” and denied Taiwan’s allegation of economic coercion. China has spent the last decade deepening its ties with African governments through loans, infrastructure projects, and diplomatic courtship. African states that once hedged between Taipei and Beijing have steadily aligned with China — from Nigeria’s forced downgrade of Taiwan’s office in 2017 to Burkina Faso’s diplomatic switch in 2018. Eswatini is the lone holdout.