No president: Beijing denies Taiwan leader exists 3 times

TAIPEI (TVBS News) — "Taiwan is part of China; there is no president." A Chinese government spokesperson repeated this statement three times Wednesday (April 22), rejecting Taiwanese journalists' references to President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) each time. The exchange came as Beijing praised three African nations for blocking Lai's flight path to a diplomatic ally — a move the U.S. called "economic pressure aimed at isolating a democratic partner."

Taiwan Affairs Office (國台辦) spokesperson Zhang Han (張晗) made the statements during a regular press conference in Beijing, pointedly disputing reporters' use of Lai's title before answering their questions. Seychelles, Mauritius, and Madagascar had abruptly withdrawn permission for Lai's aircraft to transit their airspace, forcing him to cancel a trip to Taiwan's ally Eswatini. Zhang said Beijing "commends the relevant countries for adhering to the one-China principle."

"Lai Ching-te attempted to spread Taiwan independence separatist fallacies through foreign visits, incite anti-China sentiment, and collude with external forces to provoke independence," Zhang said. She added that such actions "escalate confrontation across the Taiwan Strait" and are "bound to face opposition and failure." The language echoed Beijing's standard framing of any Taiwanese diplomatic activity as a threat to regional stability and "national unity."

The grounded trip sparked swift international condemnation. The U.S. House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party wrote on X, the social media platform: "This is not diplomacy; it is economic pressure aimed at isolating a democratic partner." The committee said it "condemns China's efforts to block travel by Taiwan President Lai Ching-te by pressuring other nations to deny overflight clearance."

Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas linked the incident to broader concerns about Chinese influence in Africa, citing Mauritius's role in a separate territorial dispute. "First, Mauritius tried to push the U.K. out of Chagos in favor of China. Now, they're interfering with Taiwan's ability to fly to Africa," Cruz wrote on X. "Mauritius seems determined to ally with the Chinese Communist Party at the expense of U.S. interests."

Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, co-chair of the Congressional Taiwan Caucus, called the move "shameful" and "reckless." He wrote on X: "Not only is it shameful that Seychelles, Mauritius, and Madagascar caved to CCP pressure, but this weaponization of aviation safety is reckless and dangerous." The European Union also weighed in. Taiwan's foreign ministry quoted an EU spokesperson as saying airspace decisions should not be used as a means to achieve "political goals."

Taiwan Alleges 'Economic Coercion,' Beijing Denies
Taiwan's Presidential Office said Tuesday that Lai had postponed his trip after the three nations revoked overflight clearance "under pressure from China." Secretary-General Pan Meng-an (潘孟安) alleged Beijing used "economic coercion" to pressure the African governments. The three nations have not publicly explained their decisions, and it was not immediately clear whether Taiwan explored alternative flight routes.

Zhang dismissed the coercion allegations as "utter nonsense, self-deception, and rumor-mongering," saying the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (民進黨) was "trying to cover up its own predicament." Asked directly whether Beijing had contacted the three African nations, Zhang declined to answer, instead repeating that the "one-China principle is a basic norm of international relations."

The DPP issued a statement calling Beijing's actions "a flagrant violation of sovereign nations' internal affairs." The party noted that despite the recent meeting between Xi Jinping (習近平) and KMT Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文), where China announced measures supposedly beneficial to Taiwan, "its current brutal suppression of Taiwan and blatant interference in the internal affairs of third countries serve as a direct rebuttal of Beijing's own official propaganda."

Taiwan's opposition parties also offered mixed responses. The Kuomintang (KMT, 國民黨), Taiwan's main opposition party, called on Beijing to show restraint and "give the Republic of China government diplomatic space." The Taiwan People's Party (TPP, 民眾黨) condemned China's actions but also criticized the government. Party figure Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) questioned why Taiwan's foreign ministry learned of the cancellations only one day before departure, calling it "truly unheard of."

The incident comes days after Beijing announced 10 policy measures ostensibly aimed at promoting cross-strait exchanges. Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council (陸委會), the government's top China policy body, rejected the measures as a "sugar-coated poison gift package" and "a political tool for promoting unification" — a characterization that now sits uneasily alongside Beijing's aggressive move to ground Taiwan's president.

Taiwan's Sole African Ally
Lai had been scheduled to attend celebrations marking the 40th anniversary of King Mswati III's coronation and the king's 58th birthday in Eswatini, formerly known as Swaziland. The kingdom is Taiwan's only remaining diplomatic ally in Africa. Taiwan maintains formal diplomatic relations with just 12 countries worldwide, a number that has steadily declined as Beijing courts Taiwan's allies.

The Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC), a coalition of more than 300 legislators worldwide, called on the world to recognize Lai's right to travel freely. "Countries have the right to determine their own foreign policy," the group said. "Beijing has no right to interfere." Yet on Wednesday, three countries demonstrated that Beijing's reach extends further than its formal authority — and that Taiwan's president, whatever Beijing calls him, cannot fly where he pleases. ◼