China issues security warning on Eswatini over online gambling and cyber fraud
Chinese authorities advised nationals already in the kingdom to relocate to safer areas, including South Africa, while warning that consular assistance could be affected.
Eswatini.- China has urged its citizens to leave Eswatini and advised against non-essential travel to the southern African country, citing cyber fraud, online gambling-related criminal activity and wider public security concerns.
In an advisory issued on August 25 by China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and its embassy in South Africa, the country called on its nationals and organisations already in Eswatini to evacuate or move to safer locations, including South Africa.
China’s consular authorities said Eswatini was experiencing what they described as “rampant cyber fraud and online gambling criminal activities”, contributing to what they characterised as extremely high security risks.
The ministry warned that those who remain in the country could face significant safety concerns and that access to timely consular assistance could be affected.
The warning does not identify a specific security incident or provide figures on the scale of the alleged criminal activity. However, it may not be unconnected to the illegal online gambling and cybercrime network recently uncovered and dismantled by Eswatini authorities.
The operation was shut down earlier this year, with police arresting about 200 suspects in connection with activities including illegal online gambling, money laundering and fraud. Interestingly, many of the foreign nationals arrested were from China, while others came from countries including Taiwan, Brazil and Indonesia. Some of those detained have since faced immigration proceedings and deportation.
The Eswatini government has presented its response to the illegal online gambling network as a major law-enforcement success, with the operation also receiving international recognition from INTERPOL, which recognised the case as part of its global anti-fraud operation.
While Beijing positions the advisory as a security measure, it comes against a sensitive diplomatic backdrop. Eswatini is the only African country that maintains formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan, which Beijing does not recognise as a separate state. That relationship has long put the southern African kingdom at odds with China. Eswatini also has longstanding diplomatic ties with the United States, making its diplomatic alignment with Taiwan particularly significant in the wider China-US rivalry.
As the situation unfolds, further details from the two governments could clarify the basis of the warning and its wider implications. Meanwhile, the Eswatini government had not issued an official response to the Chinese advisory at the time of publication.
