Technology · Malaysia Bureau
China urges citizens to leave Taiwan-allied Eswatini amid crime surge
Beijing has issued a travel advisory urging Chinese nationals to depart Eswatini, citing escalating criminal activities including cyber fraud and online gambling operations. The move underscores growing tensions between China and the southern African nation that maintains diplomatic ties with Taiwan.
LSN Malaysia ·
China's foreign ministry has advised its citizens to leave Eswatini, citing deteriorating security conditions in the kingdom. According to officials in Beijing, the country faces rampant cyber fraud and online gambling criminal activities that pose ongoing security concerns to residents and visitors alike.
The advisory represents a significant diplomatic manoeuvre by China against Eswatini, one of the few African nations that maintains formal diplomatic recognition of Taiwan rather than the People's Republic of China. The timing of the warning suggests Beijing is using security concerns as a lens through which to pressure the southern African kingdom over its political allegiances.
Eswatini, a small kingdom nestled between South Africa and Mozambique, has long been a diplomatic battleground between Beijing and Taipei. The country's decision to recognise Taiwan has made it a target for Chinese pressure, which has intensified in recent years as Beijing seeks to further isolate the self-governing island.
The foreign ministry's statement did not provide specific details about the scale or nature of the criminal operations prompting the advisory. It remains unclear how many Chinese nationals currently reside in or regularly travel to Eswatini, or what the practical implications of the advisory will be for bilateral relations and economic ties between the two countries.