The self-declared republic of Somaliland has issued a warning to the Chinese government over its relations with Taiwan, which China considers an island part of its mainland.
The Chinese ambassador to Somalia, Wang Yu, gave an interview to Dalsan TV, saying that they are warning Somaliland about its growing relations with Taiwan, noting that his government is taking unspecified measures to prevent Somaliland from doing so.
Somaliland has said that its interests, as it sees them, are in developing relations and cooperation with other countries, and that this is not harmful to the Chinese government.
As told to the BBC by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Somaliland, Abdirahman Dahir Aden (pictured), he described the relationship between Somaliland and Taiwan as cooperative and based on mutual interests, noting that it did not cause any harm to the Chinese government.
“We do not know why the Chinese Ambassador to Somalia is having problems with Somaliland’s relations with Taiwan. If we have relations with Taiwan, we are among other countries in the world that have relations with it, and this does not affect the relations we have with China. If we have relations with Taiwan, it does not mean that we have problems with China,” the Minister said.
The Foreign Minister also noted that no one is asking about the countries they are having relations with. “I have not seen a country inviting another country to whom they are having relations. China does not ask me about who it is having relations with, and we do not ask anyone else about who we are having relations with.”
China, in its own way, considers Taiwan part of its country, and we asked the minister if this could be an interference in China’s internal affairs. “Somaliland has not interfered with anyone, Taiwan exists, what is in their hands is in their hands, it is theirs legally. We look at our interests and our relations, that does not mean that we reject China’s existence. We recognize China as a country, and we can establish relations with it, and we can have cooperation,” the minister told the BBC.
According to Wang Yu, the Chinese ambassador to Somalia, he has outlined measures to pressure Somaliland, although he did not elaborate on the nature of the measures, but noted that they are aimed at severing ties with Taiwan. Somaliland’s Foreign Minister told the BBC that he did not know what would prompt China to consider taking measures against Somaliland.
“I don’t know what would prompt China to take measures against Somaliland, and that is not the case. If China has any arguments, we can discuss them, but I don’t know what would prompt it to take measures now. If it is waging war against all countries that cooperate with Taiwan, I don’t know that, but there is nothing that makes Somaliland special in this regard.”
Somaliland, a self-declared republic in 1991 but not yet recognized as an independent country, established diplomatic and cooperative relations with Taiwan in 2020, under the presidency of former Somaliland President Muse Bihi Abdi. China and Somalia strongly condemned the relationship at the time.
The Waddani Party, which won power in Somaliland, criticized Somaliland’s relations with Taiwan when it was in opposition, arguing that a member of the Security Council had become hostile to Somaliland. This led to China closely monitoring the Somaliland elections, hoping that Waddani could change relations with Taiwan.
However, the government formed by Waddani and President Cirro announced that they would continue Somaliland’s relations with Taiwan. President Cirro appointed Mohamud Adan Jama Galaal as Somaliland’s representative to Taiwan in January. This move is believed to have displeased China, and has prompted strong criticism from the Chinese Ambassador to Somalia, Wang Yu. Taiwan has implemented various projects in Somaliland, including in the fields of health, agriculture, education, and technology.
