US slams Beijing after African countries block Taiwan leader’s eSwatini trip

The United States is concerned that several African countries revoked overflight clearances for Taiwan’s leader at mainland China’s behest, the US State Department said on Wednesday, calling the incident an abuse of the international civil aviation system. Taiwan this week said the Seychelles, Mauritius ‌and Madagascar unilaterally revoked flight permits for leader William Lai Ching-te’s aircraft to cross airspace they manage on a planned trip to eSwatini, one of Taiwan’s allies. It is the first...