China Urges Citizens to Evacuate Eswatini Amid Diplomatic Tension
China issued a security advisory urging citizens to leave Eswatini, a move Taiwan condemned as authoritarian intimidation to undermine its last African diplomatic ally.
The Department of Consular Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China urged Chinese citizens and institutions to evacuate Eswatini or relocate to safer regions, including South Africa. Beijing justified the advisory by citing a complex security environment marked by online fraud and illegal gambling.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian defended the move as a prudent assessment and a common international practice. However, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Taiwan denounced the advisory as a tool of authoritarian intimidation designed to damage Taipei's diplomatic ties with Eswatini, which remains Taiwan's sole diplomatic partner in Africa.
The advisory follows previous Chinese efforts to isolate Taiwan, including attempts to block travel by President Lai Ching-te to the kingdom. While Beijing cites security risks, available data suggests Eswatini generally maintains better criminality scores than South Africa, the recommended relocation destination.
Keep reading in the app
The full story and every source, free in the app.
Coming soonGoogle Play