China has ordered its nationals out of Eswatini over what it calls high crime risk, and the small African kingdom — one of Taiwan's few remaining allies — is pushing back hard.

• China's foreign ministry told its citizens to avoid Eswatini and leave quickly, blaming telecom fraud and online gambling crime.
• Eswatini called the claim false and said it is being pressured for its own foreign policy choices.
• Recent arrests there mostly involved Chinese nationals suspected of running online crime rings, handled under normal law.
• Eswatini said one police operation is being spun into a story about a country-wide crime hub.
• China issued a similar travel warning days earlier for Palau, another of Taiwan's allies.

Outlook: Expect more pressure on the handful of countries that still recognize Taiwan, with travel warnings used as a quiet lever.