Eswatini caught between Taiwan and China means great danger

The Chinese government has increased pressure on Eswatini, one of Taiwan’s few remaining diplomatic allies, in order to compel the small country to cease its diplomatic recognition of the ROC and to instead recognize the PRC. This has primarily taken the form of economic threats against Eswatini.

Eswatini is a small country and is presided over by King Mswati III, who has been in power for fifty years. Eswatini is one of the world’s few remaining absolute monarchies.

Taiwan retains its diplomatic allies because they speak up for it in international organizations. However, many of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies have poor human rights records, including Eswatini, Honduras, and other countries.

Given Taiwan’s economic largesse in comparison to these countries, Taiwan is routinely accused of engaging in “dollar diplomacy” in trading off economic benefits to its diplomatic allies in return for recognition—or even paying off corrupt politicians in such countries in return for recognition.

In engaging in dollar diplomacy, then, Taiwan attempts to outspend China, which usually attempts to trade off economic incentives in return for switching recognition. China also stands to gain from that many of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies are located in strategic locations for maritime routes.

China has adopted quite a different approach to Eswatini, however, threatening to break off diplomatic relations with Eswatini, as well as cut off economic benefits. 

China has also rolled out restrictions on where Swazi citizens can apply for visas to visit China, restricting Swazi citizens from applying for visas anywhere except for the Chinese embassy in Pretoria.

Likewise, perhaps most significantly, the Chinese government has threatened to pressure other African nations to diplomatically and economically isolate Eswatini.

China promised “win-win relations” between Eswatini and China if Eswatini switched recognition to the Peoples Republic of China but, again threatened economic retaliation if Eswatini did not do so, something which could be quite threatening.

eTurboNews reached out to the U.S. Embassy in Eswatini, but the phone switchboard was not answered.

The United Nations just issued this security alert:

A tweet seen from South Africa says: I hope the people of Eswatini get their freedom.