TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Zambia has postponed an annual human rights conference because China was reportedly unhappy that representatives from Taiwan would attend, reports said Friday.
RightsCon Summit, a conference discussing human rights in the digital age, had been scheduled for May 5-8 in the Zambian capital Lusaka. However, the government said more time was needed to study the topics for discussion and give clearance to invited speakers, per CNA.
Human Rights Watch said in a statement the Chinese government allegedly expressed displeasure with the Zambian authorities that the conference had invited guests from Taiwan to speak. A local website also reported that Zambia feared that Taiwanese speakers would criticize China at a venue funded by Beijing.
The Mulungushi Conference Center was refurbished with aid from China. At the time it was described as a gift with no strings attached.
The organizers of RightsCon said their event had in effect been canceled, and would not take place either in Zambia or online. They said that registered participants should not travel to the African country. The previous RightsCon summit took place in Taipei in February 2025, CNA reported.
The incident comes after China reportedly pressured Madagascar, Mauritius, and the Seychelles into revoking overflight permits shortly ahead of President Lai Ching-te’s (賴清德) trip to Eswatini. The government was forced to announce the cancellation of the trip just a day before Lai was scheduled to leave Taiwan.
He had been invited to attend celebrations for the 58th birthday of King Mswati III and the 40th anniversary of his coronation in Taiwan’s only African ally. Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) traveled to Eswatini as his special envoy instead.
