China said Wednesday it had "high appreciation" for the African countries that denied overflight rights to the plane of Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te, forcing him to cancel a trip to Eswatini. China claims self-governed Taiwan as part of its territory and opposes the island having diplomatic relations with other countries. Lai was to visit Eswatini, Taiwan's only remaining ally on the African continent, from April 22-26. But that plan was shelved after Seychelles, Mauritius and Madagascar unexpectedly withdrew flight permits "due to strong pressure from the Chinese authorities, including economic coercion," a Taiwanese official said Tuesday. What did China say about the Taiwan president's trip? Beijing denied it had applied economic pressure to block Lai's trip, but at the same time said it had "high appreciation" for the three countries' actions. "Relevant countries maintained support for the one-China principle, completely in line with ...…