Beijing calls Taiwan’s president a ‘rat’ after secret trip to southern Africa

RT News · May 03, 2026 · 345 words · By Russia Today

Cross-Strait Diplomatic Conflict Sovereignty and Recognition

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.rt.com/news/639381-taiwans-leader-rat-eswatini-visit/

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Loaded Language 90% confidence

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Name Calling / Labeling 100% confidence

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fact_checkFact-Check Results

11 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

check_circle Corroborated 8

help Insufficient Evidence 1

verified Verified By Reference 1

schedule Pending 1

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“China has compared Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te to a “rat crossing the street””

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent sources (RT World News, Global Times, and others) report that China's Taiwan Affairs Office compared President Lai to a 'rat crossing the street'.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Office of the President (Chinese: 總統府; pinyin: Zǒngtǒngfǔ; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Chóng-thóng-hú) is an organ of the Republic of China (Taiwan) that handles the general administrative affairs of the Presiden…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Office_of_the_President_(Taiwa…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main island of Taiwan, also known as Formosa, lies between the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taiwan

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Taiwan Affairs Office is a ministerial-level office under the State Council of the People's Republic of China (PRC). It is responsible for cross-strait relations and sets and implements guidelines…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taiwan_Affairs_Office

+ 3 more evidence sources

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“he secretly boarded an Eswatini government aircraft and flew to the small southern African kingdom on an unannounced state visit”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources confirm Lai made an unannounced visit to Eswatini using an Eswatini government aircraft.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Presidential elections were held in Taiwan on 13 January 2024 as part of the 2024 general elections. Tsai Ing-wen of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), the incumbent president of the Republic of …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_Taiwanese_presidential_el…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Events in the year 2026 in Eswatini
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_in_Eswatini

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Eswatini–Taiwan relations refer to the international relations between the Eswatini (officially the Kingdom of Eswatini) and Taiwan (officially the Republic of China). Eswatini maintains an embassy in…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eswatini–Taiwan_relations

+ 3 more evidence sources

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“The rebuke was issued by China’s Taiwan Affairs Office on Saturday”

CORROBORATED

Sources indicate the rebuke from the Taiwan Affairs Office occurred on a Saturday following Lai's arrival in Eswatini.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Lai Ching-te (Chinese: 賴清德; pinyin: Lài Qīngdé; born 6 October 1959), also known as William Lai, is a Taiwanese politician, physician, and nephrologist who has served as the eighth president of the Re…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lai_Ching-te

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The president of the Republic of China, also known as the president of Taiwan, is the head of state of the Republic of China (Taiwan), as well as the commander-in-chief of the Republic of China Armed …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/President_of_the_Republic_of_C…

+ 3 more evidence sources

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“Lai’s visit had originally been scheduled for late April, but was called off at the last minute after the Seychelles, Mauritius and Madagascar revoked overflight permits”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources confirm a late April visit was cancelled because Seychelles, Mauritius, and Madagascar revoked overflight permits.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This is a list of current state leaders ordered by their continuous tenure in a position of national leadership. For countries in which the head of state and head of government are separate, both offi…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_current_state_leaders_…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Taiwan–Africa relations refers to the diplomatic, economic, and informal relations between Taiwan (formally the Republic of China, ROC) and countries in Africa. Since 1949, competition between Taiwan …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taiwan–Africa_relations

+ 3 more evidence sources

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“Eswatini, formerly known as Swaziland, is one of only 12 countries with formal diplomatic ties with Taipei”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources confirm Eswatini (formerly Swaziland) is one of 12 countries with formal diplomatic ties to Taiwan.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Eswatini or eSwatini, officially the Kingdom of eSwatini, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. It is bordered by South Africa on all sides except the east, where it shares a border with Mozambi…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eswatini

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Mbabane () is the most populous city in Eswatini (previously called Swaziland), and is one of the two capitals (along with Lobamba), serving as the executive capital. It has an estimated population of…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mbabane

+ 3 more evidence sources

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“The landlocked nation of fewer than 1.3 million people is the island’s sole remaining African ally”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources confirm Eswatini is Taiwan's sole remaining African ally. Population data for Eswatini is generally consistent with the 'fewer than 1.3 million' figure in the provided search results.

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web search NEUTRAL — Eswatini's population in thousands (1950–2021). The majority of Eswatini's population is ethnically Swazi, mixed with a small number of Zulu and White Africans, mostly people of British and Afrikaner …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eswatini

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web search NEUTRAL — Eswatini is Taiwan’s only remaining diplomatic ally in Africa, and one of just 12 worldwide that maintain formal ties with the country.The Eswatini visit is to have three main purposes: security, econ…
https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2026/04/13/2…

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web search NEUTRAL — TAIPEI, Taiwan — Taiwan’s president postponed a visit to Africa this week when three countries withdrew permission for him to fly over their territ...President Lai Ching-te was set to visit Eswatini, …
https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/world/20260422/taiwan-president…

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“China’s Taiwan Affairs Office branded Lai a “troublemaker” and accused him of abandoning the island’s residents in the wake of a significant earthquake to fly to Eswatini”

CORROBORATED

China.org.cn and Global Times report the Taiwan Affairs Office calling Lai a 'troublemaker' and criticizing the timing of his visit.

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web search NEUTRAL — China has compared Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te to a “rat crossing the street” after he secretly boarded an Eswatini government aircraft and flew to the small southern African kingdom on an unannou…
https://www.rt.com/news/639381-taiwans-leader-rat-eswatini-v…

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web search NEUTRAL — Chen Binhua, a spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council. Earlier, as relevant countries adhered to the one-China principle, Lai Ching-te's attempt to visit Eswatini by chartered…
https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202605/1360199.shtml

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web search NEUTRAL — Taiwan leader Lai Ching-te holds a stubborn separatist stance advocating "Taiwan independence" and is a complete "troublemaker," a Chinese mainland spokesperson said on Saturday.
http://www.china.org.cn/2026-05/03/content_118474962.shtml

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“Lai pushed back, writing on X that Taiwan “will never be deterred by external pressures,” adding that the island “will continue to engage with the world”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources report Lai's post on X stating Taiwan will not be deterred by external pressures and will continue to engage with the world.

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web search NEUTRAL — In a post on X, Lai said he arrived in Eswatini — Taiwan’s only diplomatic ally in Africa — to “affirm our longstanding friendship.” He said that Taiwan, a self-ruled democracy that China considers pa…
https://www.aol.com/articles/taiwans-president-lands-eswatin…

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web search NEUTRAL — Lai Ching-te has spoken in Taiwan on his victory for the Democratic Progressive Party in the country’s presidential election.He won the election by securing ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tu8K0thwARA

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web search NEUTRAL — Taiwan President Lai Ching-te (M) is greeted by Eswatini Prime Minister Russell Dlamini (R) on arrival. Lai's visit this time was not announced in advance by either government.On social media, Lai sai…
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c809ln029ldo

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“Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council also hit back, branding Beijing’s rebuke “fishwife’s gutter talk””

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the provided search results or Wikipedia entries regarding the Mainland Affairs Council's 'fishwife's gutter talk' comment.

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“China considers Taiwan a part of its sovereign territory”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia explicitly states that the Taiwan Affairs Office is responsible for policies related to Taiwan, which is claimed by the PRC to be part of its territory.

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“it signaled in 2022 that it “would not renounce the use of force” to accomplish this goal”

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info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.

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Beijing calls Taiwan’s president a ‘rat’ after secret trip to southern Africa

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