China's foreign ministry has urged its citizens to leave Eswatini, the small southern African kingdom that remains one of Taiwan's few remaining diplomatic allies, citing "security risks" including cyber fraud and gambling-related crime. The advisory comes amid long-running Chinese pressure on Eswatini to sever ties with Taiwan, and follows a visit by Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te in May that Beijing strongly criticised, having earlier tried to derail it by pressuring neighbouring states to revoke overflight permits.

Beijing did not provide details of the alleged risks, but recommended citizens relocate to "relatively safer" nearby countries such as South Africa, warning that those who stayed would face "extremely high security risks" with limited consular assistance. Separately, local media reported that 40 Chinese nationals have been detained since last month after being rearrested while trying to leave the country, having originally been held in March amid raids on illegal online gambling operations in the capital, Mbabane; their lawyers say the rearrest was unlawful after a court had ordered their release. Eswatini is the only African nation with formal ties to Taiwan and, notably, the sole African country excluded when China scrapped tariffs for the rest of the continent earlier this year.