My article in Revue Conflits: How Beijing grounded Taiwan's president
I published an article in Revue Conflits on an unprecedented geopolitical event: how Beijing prevented Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te from travelling — without firing a single shot.
On April 21, 2026, three Indian Ocean states — the Seychelles, Mauritius and Madagascar — withdrew overflight clearances for the Taiwanese presidential aircraft under Chinese economic pressure, forcing the cancellation of an official visit to Eswatini. This is the first time a democratically elected head of state has been grounded through the coordinated action of third-party states, without armed conflict.
The article analyses the legal framework exploited by Beijing — the 1944 Chicago Convention —, the progressive strategy of airspace politicisation since the M503 routes, and the systemic risk that this model could be replicated against other democracies.
This article was also republished in Norwegian by Geopolitika.no under the title “Beijing tvang Taiwans president til bakken”.