סין: נשיא טייוואן "עכברוש"

A diplomatic success for Taiwan. Its president has finally arrived in the African country Eswatini on Saturday, despite efforts by China to block the trip. Here's more. Taiwan's President Lai Ching-de had a warm exchange with King Swati III on Saturday, as he struck a defiant tone on the surprise trip to Eswatini that triggered Beijing to call him a rat. Lai had planned to travel to the landlocked African country for the 40th anniversary of the But, Taipei said, Beijing forced three countries to pull their permission for Lai's plane to fly over their airspaces. China views democratically governed Taiwan as part of its territory with no right to state-to-state ties. It's a position the Taiwan government strongly disputes. In an address thanking the king for his support, Lai said Taiwan is a sovereign nation. The 23 million people of Taiwan have the right to engage with the world, the president said. No country has the right to prevent it from contributing to the world. The king reassured Lai that Taiwan has his country's backing. Eswatini, formerly known as Swaziland, is one of only 12 countries with formal ties with Taipei. Lai landed earlier in the day in the country of 1.3 million people on an Eswatini government aircraft. Neither government had announced the trip beforehand. Late on Saturday, China's Taiwan Affairs Office likened Lai to, quote, a rat scurrying across the street. It denounced the secret trip in a statement, saying it would be met with ridicule by the international community. Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council, which oversees the island's China policies, said Lai did not need Beijing's permission to go anywhere. It called China's comments boring in the extreme. Seychelles, Mauritius and Madagascar were the countries that had revoked Lai's overflight permit, according to Taiwan. The move had prompted the U.S. to criticize China, with the European Union and several Western countries also voicing concern. Taiwanese media report that Eswatini sent the king's plane to Taiwan, with its deputy prime minister on board. Officially, the trip was framed as an exchange visit. But in reality, it was a covert mission to transport Taiwanese President Lai to the African nation, sidestepping the originally blocked route. It remains to be seen how Lai will return to Taiwan. The U.S. State Department said Taiwan is a trusted and capable partner of the United States and many others. The department added that Taiwan's relationships around the world provide significant benefits to the citizens of those countries. A show of naval diplomacy in the Pacific, Taiwan's naval squadron has arrived in Guatemala, docking Saturday at a port on the country's coastline. Three warships made the stop as part of a training and diplomatic mission aimed at strengthening ties between the two countries. The visit also marks a return after an eight-year gap, with officials highlighting expanded military cooperation and cultural exchange. More than 780 crew members made the long journey across the Pacific, traveling through the Panama Canal and into the Caribbean Sea. Guatemala's defense minister says the visit will deepen cooperation through chaining exchanges, scholarships and expanded educational opportunities. It also says support in ship design will help strengthen the country's naval capabilities. This is the squadron's seventh visit since the program began in 1967. During the stop, Taiwan also hosted cultural exhibits and presented a naval merit medal to seven Guatemalan officers. As part of the exchange, seven Guatemalan cadets will board the squadron on Monday to train in Taiwan. U.S. intelligence agencies say China is still pursuing its long-held goal of taking control of Taiwan, but they don't expect Beijing to launch an invasion by next year. That's according to this year's Annual Threat Assessment of the U.S. Intelligence Community.