China Warns Citizens to Leave Eswatini as aiwan Confirms Pacific Forum Attendance
Beijing calls on Chinese nationals and institutions in Eswatini to leave or move to safer areas, while Taiwan confirms its participation in a Pacific Islands Forum meeting in Palau.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - China has urged its citizens to leave Eswatini immediately, citing security risks in the African kingdom, one of Taiwan’s remaining diplomatic allies, as Beijing and Taipei continue to compete for international recognition.
China considers Taiwan part of its territory and opposes efforts by the self-governed island to expand its international relations.
China’s Foreign Ministry Department of Consular Affairs said Tuesday that Chinese citizens and institutions already in Eswatini should leave as soon as possible or move to relatively safer areas such as South Africa.
The department cited widespread electronic fraud and criminal activities linked to online gambling among the kingdom’s continuing security concerns.
“The citizens and institutions in the country should leave it as soon as possible, or move to relatively safer areas such as South Africa,” the department said.
It added that those who insist on traveling to or remaining in the area would face “very high security risks,” while their ability to receive consular assistance quickly could be affected.
The number of Chinese citizens currently living or working in Eswatini was not immediately clear.
Eswatini, a small landlocked kingdom formerly known as Swaziland, is one of 12 countries that still recognize Taiwan.
Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te visited Eswatini in May. Taipei subsequently accused Beijing of attempting to derail the trip by pressuring neighboring countries to withdraw airspace transit permits for his journey.
China has persuaded other countries to sever diplomatic relations with Taiwan and establish ties with Beijing.
Taiwan confirms Pacific Islands Forum attendance
Separately, Taiwan confirmed Wednesday that it will participate in the upcoming Pacific Islands Forum in Palau despite Beijing’s opposition to Taipei’s presence at diplomatic forums and international organizations.
The forum’s Secretary General Baron Waqa announced Taiwan’s participation in early August, prompting a protest from Beijing several days later.
China claims sovereignty over Taiwan, while the Solomon Islands, which is aligned with Beijing and was organizing the forum at the time, had also opposed Taiwan’s participation, leading to Taipei’s exclusion from the 2025 edition.
Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry said Wednesday that Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung would attend the upcoming forum, scheduled to take place from August 30 to September 4, and would travel to Palau on Thursday.
The Taiwanese delegation, led by Lin, includes representatives from the energy, technology, food and construction sectors.
The ministry said Lin would meet Taiwan’s Pacific allies and other friendly countries to discuss deepening Taiwan’s partnerships with Pacific island nations and jointly maintaining peace, stability and prosperity across the Indo-Pacific region.
Palau, Tuvalu and the Marshall Islands are now the last Pacific countries to recognize Taiwan.
Taiwan has 12 diplomatic allies in total. Nauru, Kiribati and the Solomon Islands, which are also members of the organization, switched diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to Beijing in 2019.