There were no heavy suitcases aboard the borrowed jet that secretly carried President Lai Ching-te of Taiwan toward Africa. Instead, to save fuel for a secret, 15,000-mile journey to get around restricted airspace, his entourage brought only carry-on bags.

秘密搭载台湾总统赖清德前往非洲的借用专机上没有沉重的行李箱。为了节省燃油，飞过这段绕行受限空域的2.4万公里秘密旅程，他的随行人员只带了随身行李。

The stripped-back, high-stakes mission, revealed by Taiwanese officials who had been on the flight, and who showed documents to back up their account of what happened, was aimed at outmaneuvering Beijing’s latest attempts to isolate Taiwan.

乘坐该航班的台湾官员透露了这项精简的高风险的任务，并展示了支持其说法的文件。此行旨在挫败北京最近试图孤立台湾的企图。

China had been gloating earlier after it dealt an embarrassing blow to the president of Beijing’s rival, Taiwan, and his government’s efforts to preserve the island’s standing on the global stage.

中国此前一直沾沾自喜，因为它令台湾这个北京竞争对手的总统及其政府维护台湾国际地位的努力遭遇了一次难堪的挫败。

President Lai Ching-te of Taiwan had been invited by the tiny southern African kingdom of Eswatini to attend celebrations in April marking King Mswati III’s 40 years on the throne. Eswatini is the only African country that still maintains official diplomatic relations with Taiwan and not China.

台湾总统赖清德应南部非洲小国斯威士兰的邀请，原定于4月出席庆祝国王姆斯瓦蒂三世登基40周年的庆典。斯威士兰是目前唯一与台湾而非中国保持正式外交关系的非洲国家。

Mr. Lai was forced to call off the trip after three other countries rescinded permits for him to fly through their airspace to reach Eswatini. The three nations did so apparently because of pressure from Beijing, which says Taiwan is its territory and has no rightful place in diplomacy.

在其他三个国家撤销了允许他飞越其领空前往斯威士兰的许可后，赖清德被迫取消了这次行程。这三个国家显然是因为受到北京的压力，北京称台湾是其领土，在外交上没有合法地位。

Then, in a twist, Mr. Lai announced in early May: “I’ve arrived.”

随后发生了反转，赖清德在5月初宣布：“我到了。”

He had reached Eswatini on a covert flight across the Indian Ocean that appeared to have caught Beijing by surprise. The Chinese government likened Mr. Lai’s actions to a rat running across a street. Mr. Lai celebrated his trip as a plucky victory against China’s campaign to marginalize Taiwan.

他乘坐一架穿越印度洋的秘密航班抵达斯威士兰，这似乎让北京措手不及。中国政府将赖清德的行为比作过街老鼠。赖清德则将此次行程颂为对抗中国边缘化台湾运动的英勇胜利。

台湾总统府提供的照片显示，赖清德于5月在斯威士兰的一处会议厅会见了斯威士兰国王姆斯瓦蒂三世。

This account of Mr. Lai’s covert journey to Africa and back draws on interviews with two officials who had accompanied him on the trip. The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive security and diplomatic details and to share related documents, such as the flight permits that were revoked.

这份关于赖清德此次秘密往返非洲的报道取材于对两名随行官员的采访。这些官员在要求匿名的情况下讨论了敏感的安全和外交细节，并分享了相关文件，例如被撤销的飞行许可。

The entourage traveled a total of 15,815 miles on a borrowed plane, flying nearly as far from any airport as safety rules usually allowed, all to slip through and around the airspaces of unwelcoming countries, the officials said.

官员们表示，代表团乘坐一架借来的飞机，总共飞行了25451公里，飞行路线几乎达到了安全规定通常允许距离机场的极限，这一切都是为了悄悄穿过和绕开那些不欢迎他们的国家领空。

The high-altitude cat-and-mouse game between China and Mr. Lai reflects the new, more intense phase of Beijing’s campaign to erase Taiwan’s leaders from the global map. That campaign is reflected in the Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s agenda in his summit with President Trump in Beijing. Mr. Xi told Mr. Trump that mishandling Chinese concerns on Taiwan could push relations between Beijing and Washington into an “extremely dangerous" place.

中国与赖清德之间这场高空猫鼠游戏反映出，北京将台湾领导人从全球版图上抹去这一行动已经进入了更激烈的新阶段。这一行动也体现在中国领导人习近平在北京与特朗普总统的峰会议程中。习近平告诉特朗普，如果处理不好中国在台湾问题上的关切，可能会将北京和华盛顿之间的关系推向“十分危险”的境地。

For years, China has used its economic clout to try to compel governments, companies and organizations to treat Taiwan as China’s territory. But this was the first time that it has tried to sever the Taiwanese leader’s access to international flight paths, the Taiwanese officials said.

多年来，中国一直利用其经济影响力试图迫使各国政府、公司和组织将台湾视为中国领土。但台湾官员说，这还是中国首次试图切断台湾领导人进入国际航线的通道。

“This is another front in the ever escalating ‘lawfare’ and other pressure campaigns on Taiwan,” said Julian Ku, a professor at the Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University, referring to the deployment of laws and rules to try to pressure adversaries. “This tactic shows that Beijing is not going to back down from seeking out new legal mechanisms to harass and delegitimize Lai.”

霍夫斯特拉大学莫里斯·A·迪恩法学院教授古举伦(Julian Ku)表示：“这是针对台湾不断升级的‘法律战’和其他施压运动的另一条战线。”他指的是利用法律和规则来试图向对手施压的做法。“这种策略表明，北京不会放弃寻找新的法律机制来骚扰赖清德，并使其丧失合法性。”

Even as Mr. Lai joined in celebrations with the king, his advisers were wrestling with their next challenge: How to get him safely home now that the Chinese government was alerted to his arrival in the country.

就在赖清德与国王一起参加庆祝活动时，他的顾问们正在努力应对下一个挑战：既然中国政府已经警觉到他抵达该国，该如何让他安全回家。

A Routine Visit, Thwarted

一次被阻挠的例行访问

Mr. Lai had originally planned to leave for Eswatini on April 22 for the celebrations and talks on strengthening ties between the two sides.

赖清德原计划于4月22日启程前往斯威士兰参加庆典，并就加强双边关系进行会谈。

Eswatini, formerly called Swaziland, is one of just a dozen states in the world with official ties with Taiwan. In the past decade, China has used its growing influence to nearly halve the number of countries that recognize Taiwan, giving Eswatini outsize importance in the island’s diplomacy.

斯威士兰（Eswatini，旧称Swaziland）是世界上仅有的十几个与台湾保持官方关系的国家之一。过去十年里，中国利用其日益增长的影响力使承认台湾的国家数量几乎减半，这让斯威士兰在台湾外交中具有非同寻常的重要性。

Mr. Lai’s visit would “demonstrate Taiwan’s determination and commitment to engaging with the world,” his office had said when it first announced his trip.

赖清德办公室在首次宣布他的行程时曾表示，他的访问将“彰显台湾走向世界的决心与承诺”。

When Taiwanese presidents visited Eswatini before, obtaining permits to fly through other countries’ airspace to get there was routine. International airspace is governed as a mosaic of national jurisdictions, where countries hold the power to grant or deny passage, though permission to fly through is rarely denied.

以前台湾总统访问斯威士兰时，获得飞越他国领空以抵达该国的许可是常规。国际空域被划分为由不同国家管辖的拼图，各国拥有批准或拒绝通行的权力，尽管过境许可很少被拒绝。

Taiwan had obtained overflight permits from 16 countries for Mr. Lai’s trip, according to Mr. Lai’s security officials, who showed them to The New York Times.

赖清德的安全官员向《纽约时报》展示了相关文件，称台湾为赖清德的行程获得了16个国家的飞越许可。

But before Mr. Lai was due to fly to Eswatini, word began to reach his office that the Seychelles, Mauritius and Madagascar, which together control a bloc of airspace out into the Indian Ocean, were suggesting that Mr. Lai reconsider his plans.

但在赖清德原定飞往斯威士兰之前，他的办公室开始收到消息，称共同控制着延伸至印度洋上一大片空域的塞舌尔、毛里求斯和马达加斯加建议赖清德重新考虑他的计划。

Then on April 17, the countries notified Taiwan that they were rescinding their permits.

随后，4月17日，这些国家通知台湾他们正在撤销许可。

台湾总统府提供的照片显示，姆斯瓦蒂三世国王为赖清德举行了隆重的军事欢迎仪式。

After failing to persuade the three countries to reverse their decisions, Mr. Lai’s office convened a news conference to announce his trip was off. They described it as a “postponement.” But there seemed no easy way for Mr. Lai to make the trip.

在未能说服这三个国家收回成命后，赖清德办公室召开新闻发布会宣布他的行程取消。他们将其描述为“推迟”。但对赖清德来说，似乎没有简单的方法可以成行。

Mauritius and Madagascar did not respond to requests for comment on their decisions. The Seychelles referred to an earlier statement defending its decision as in line with its “one-China policy” and “non-recognition of Taiwan as a State.”

毛里求斯和马达加斯加没有回应就其决定置评的请求。塞舌尔提到了早前的一份声明，为自己的决定辩护，称其符合该国的“一个中国政策”和“不承认台湾是一个国家”的立场。

Taiwanese officials had no doubt that Beijing had brought about their U-turn.

台湾官员毫不怀疑是北京迫使这些国家彻底改变了立场。

“The actual reason is the strong pressure exerted by the Chinese authorities, including economic coercion,” Pan Men-an, a senior aide to Mr. Lai, told reporters at the news briefing announcing that the trip had to be called off.

“真正的原因是，中国当局施加了巨大压力，包括经济胁迫，”赖清德的高级助手潘孟安在宣布行程不得不取消的新闻发布会上对记者说。

The Chinese foreign ministry praised Seychelles, Mauritius, and Madagascar as acting in line with the “one-China principle.” That is China’s view that Taiwan is a part of its territory, and the Communist Party-led government in Beijing is the sole legitimate authority over that one country.

中国外交部赞扬塞舌尔、毛里求斯和马达加斯加的行动符合“一个中国原则”。这是北京所持的立场，即台湾是中国领土的一部分，而北京以共产党为领导的政府是中国唯一的合法代表。

This was an embarrassing setback for Mr. Lai, who is not given to making compromises and acutely sensitive about asserting Taiwan’s separate status. Last year, Mr. Lai was forced to abandon a planned trip to Latin America after the Trump administration denied his request to stop over in New York.

这对向来不愿妥协、对维护台湾独立地位极为敏感的赖清德而言，是一次尴尬的挫败。去年，在特朗普政府拒绝了他在纽约过境的请求后，赖清德被迫放弃了原定的拉丁美洲之行。

But his team had a plan.

但他的团队有了一个计划。

A Stealth Mission on a Royal Jet

王室专机的秘密任务

Mr. Lai’s team did not have much time. They needed to find a plane and a route to Eswatini that could get around the airspace over the Seychelles, Mauritius, and Madagascar, and then also bring Mr. Lai safely home.

赖清德的团队时间不多了。他们要找到一架飞机以及一条飞往斯威士兰的航线，既能绕开塞舌尔、毛里求斯和马达加斯加的领空，又能将赖清德安全带回家。

They approached Eswatini’s government about borrowing the king’s royal jet, which had originally belonged to a Taiwanese airline. The Airbus A340 plane had four engines, meaning that it could skirt around blocked airspace if needed by flying deep across the Indian Ocean, far from any airport. Such a maneuver would ordinarily be forbidden to the two-engine passenger aircraft that Taiwan usually charters for presidential trips abroad.

他们联系了斯威士兰政府，要求借用国王的王室专机，这架专机原本属于一家台湾航空公司。这架空客A340飞机拥有四个引擎，这意味着如有必要，它可以深入印度洋上空飞行，远离任何机场，从而绕过受封锁的空域。而台湾通常为总统出访包租的双引擎客机通常被禁止进行此类飞行。

The deputy prime minister of Eswatini, Thulisile Dladla, visited Taiwan on the royal jet. Her visit was described as aimed at bolstering relations.

斯威士兰副首相图利西莱·德拉德拉乘坐这架王室专机访问了台湾。她的访问被描述为旨在加强双边关系。

In the early hours of May 2, the royal jet flew back to Eswatini. Mr. Lai was on it.

5月2日凌晨，这架王室专机飞回了斯威士兰。赖清德就在机上。

His trip was a secret to almost everyone in Taiwan, including inside Mr. Lai’s government, the officials said. He was accompanied by about two dozen Taiwanese officials.

官员们说，他的行程对台湾几乎所有人来说都是秘密，包括赖清德政府内部人员。随行的有大约20余名台湾官员。

Mr. Lai’s staff and technicians had prepared the plane for an unusually long journey. To reduce the plane’s weight and save fuel, the passengers were allowed only carry-on baggage. But meals during the flight of over 14 hours remained “standard business class,” including fried chicken and rice porridge, said one official.

赖清德的工作人员和技术人员为这次异常漫长的旅程做好了飞机准备工作。为了减轻飞机重量和节省燃油，乘客只被允许携带随身行李。但一位官员表示，在超过14小时的飞行中，餐食仍保持“标准商务舱”水平，包括炸鸡和米粥。

Security advisers used satellite phones to report to Taipei every two hours. The plane flew through the airspace of Madagascar and Mauritius; neither country appeared to be aware of who was onboard the plane, according to the Taiwanese officials.

安全顾问使用卫星电话每两小时向台北汇报一次。飞机飞越了马达加斯加和毛里求斯的领空；据台湾官员称，这两个国家似乎都不知道飞机上载有何人。

They timed their arrival in Eswatini for the morning, so that Mr. Lai could go straight into his diplomatic activities. King Mswati III made sure that the events included repeat performances of anniversary celebrations that Mr. Lai had missed, including a fireworks display.

他们特意将抵达斯威士兰的时间安排在上午，以便赖清德能够直接参加外交活动。国王姆斯瓦蒂三世确保活动中包含了赖清德错过的周年庆典的重演环节，包括烟花表演。

斯威士兰副首相图利西莱·德拉德拉（右）陪同赖清德返回台湾，两人于5月5日前往桃园国际机场参加新闻发布会。

Mr. Lai’s flight back to Taiwan was even longer. To avoid any trouble, the royal plane flew around the air zones of Seychelles, Mauritius, and Madagascar, tracing an arc southeast across the Indian Ocean. If the plane had been fully loaded, the length of the journey may have brought fuel levels uncomfortably low. But there was more than enough.

赖清德飞回台湾的航程甚至更长。为了避免任何麻烦，王室专机绕开了塞舌尔、毛里求斯和马达加斯加的空域，在印度洋上向东南划出一条弧线。如果飞机满载，如此漫长的航程可能会导致燃油储备降至令人不安的低水平。但当时的燃油还绰绰有余。

In line with the security protocol for presidential flights, four Taiwanese military jets flew up to escort Mr. Lai’s plane as it approached Taiwan. But no threats emerged, and Mr. Lai landed safely at Taoyuan International Airport near Taipei.

按照总统航班的安全方案，在赖清德的飞机接近台湾时，四架台湾军用喷气式战斗机升空护航。但并未出现任何威胁，赖清德安全降落在台北附近的桃园国际机场。

The political reaction from Beijing was unusually intense. Chinese officials deeply dislike Mr. Lai and his Democratic Progressive Party, which rejects Beijing’s claims to sovereignty over Taiwan. The Chinese foreign ministry described Mr. Lai’s trip as a “farcical ‘illegal exit’.”

北京的政治反应异常激烈。中国官员极度反感赖清德及其所属的民进党，该党拒绝接受北京对台湾的主权主张。中国外交部将赖清德的行程描述为“外窜闹剧”。