Taiwan President defiant as he begins Eswatini trip; China calls him a ‘rat’

Taiwan has the right to engage with ​the world, and no country can stop that, ⁠President Lai Ching-te told Eswatini’s king after he arrived for a surprise trip that Taipei says Beijing tried to stop, as China condemned him as a “rat”.

China views ‌democratically governed Taiwan as part of its territory with no right to State-to-State ties, a position Taiwan’s government strongly ‌disputes, and Beijing has demanded countries stop any engagements with ‌the ⁠island.