Taiwan warns against Uganda travel as passport disputes grow

TAIPEI – Taiwan urged citizens to postpone travel to Uganda after a series of passport disputes, the latest sign of growing pressure on the island’s international presence in Africa.

Three Taiwanese business travellers and their family members arriving at Entebbe airport near Kampala on Aug 12 had their passports seized by immigration officials, who demanded Chinese passports instead, Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on Aug 13.

The Taiwanese documents were eventually returned and the travellers allowed entry, but the incident marked a second such case involving two Taiwanese travellers, one of whom was deported, the ministry said.

Ugandan officials said the requirement was part of enforcing the country’s “one-China policy,” according to the Taiwanese ministry.

Taipei’s representative office in Somaliland, which oversees relations in Uganda, is seeking clarification from Ugandan authorities.

China claims the self-governing island of Taiwan as part of its territory. The US is among nations supporting a so-called one-China policy that treats the island as inseparable from the mainland.

“Uganda should recognise the reality that Taiwan and China are not subordinate to each other and refrain from imposing inappropriate entry restrictions for political reasons that could undermine normal bilateral exchanges and interests,” the Taiwanese ministry said.

The dispute follows other recent tensions over the treatment of Taiwanese travellers in Africa. Taiwan suspended visa processing for Moroccan nationals in late July after Morocco imposed similar restrictions, while Taipei threatened retaliation after Kenya barred Taiwanese delegates from a global maritime conference and detained an academic from the island for 20 hours in June.

Taiwan only has 12 official diplomatic partners, with most countries recognising Beijing’s authority above that of Taipei. Countries without formal ties to the island still accept Taiwanese passports, with the rare exception of Georgia.

Africa has become a key front in China’s efforts to isolate Taipei’s presence on the world stage. Earlier in 2026, Beijing persuaded three African countries to close their airspace to Taiwan President Lai Ching-te’s plane in a bid to derail his trip to Eswatini, Taipei’s last partner on the continent. Bloomberg