China has advised its citizens to leave Eswatini, citing what it describes as serious security threats in the southern African kingdom.
The Chinese foreign ministry said widespread cyber scams and criminal operations linked to gambling were among the dangers, although it provided no specific incidents to support the warning.
It encouraged Chinese nationals to move promptly to safer destinations, including neighbouring South Africa.
Eswatini is the only African country among the 12 nations that maintain official diplomatic ties with Taiwan, which Beijing regards as part of China.
The warning comes after reports that about 40 Chinese nationals have been held in Eswatini since July after allegedly being detained while attempting to depart.
According to the privately owned Times of Eswatini, the group was initially arrested in March alongside other foreign nationals during police operations targeting suspected illegal internet gambling establishments in and around Mbabane.
Their legal representatives reportedly told the attorney general and the ministry responsible for home affairs that the detainees had admitted immigration violations and settled court-imposed penalties.
The lawyers said the 40 were subsequently freed following a High Court ruling and argued that authorities acted unlawfully by taking them into custody again.
The Eswatini authorities have yet to publicly respond to the allegations.
Beijing warned that Chinese nationals who continue to visit or remain in Eswatini could face “extremely high security risks”, adding that assistance from Chinese authorities might not be provided quickly if needed.
There is no publicly available figure showing the size of Eswatini’s Chinese community.
China has long campaigned for countries to sever their official links with Taiwan and recognise Beijing instead.
In April, Taiwan accused China of attempting to disrupt President Lai Ching-te’s planned journey to Eswatini by putting pressure on neighbouring states to deny his aircraft permission to cross their airspace.
The visit, scheduled for 22 to 26 April to commemorate the 40th anniversary of King Mswati III’s accession to the throne, was subsequently called off.
Lai later made an unannounced trip to Eswatini in May, although details of his route were not disclosed by the governments involved.
Beijing subsequently mocked the Taiwanese leader, saying his visit had turned him into “an international laughing stock”.
Earlier this year, China removed import duties on goods from African nations but excluded Eswatini from the arrangement.
By: Magdalene Agyeiwaa Sarpong