The Chinese government opposes the establishment of diplomatic ties between Taiwan and Somaliland.
During a regular press conference on 6th July 2020, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian said China firmly opposes the establishment of official institutions or any form of official exchange between the Taiwan authorities and Somaliland.
“We noticed and appreciate that the Somali government reaffirmed its adherence to the One-China principle and condemned Taiwan for undermining Somalia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. There is only one China in the world and Taiwan is an inalienable part of China. The one-China principle is a universally recognized norm governing international relations and an international consensus. “Said Zhao Lijian
He added
“China firmly opposes the establishment of official institutions or any form of official exchange between the Taiwan authorities and Somaliland. The Democratic Progressive Party has gone frantic in search of whatever support it could get, but it will never succeed in trying to stage separatist activities on the international stage.”
On July 1, Somaliland and Taiwan announced on July 1 an agreement to exchange Representative Offices. Both Taiwan and Somaliland have now appointed representatives to each other’s capital.
Once the offices are set up, the two sides will cooperate in the fields of agriculture, mining, fishing, energy, public health, education and information technology, Wu said.
Four senior Taiwanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs officers will be initially assigned to the Taiwan Representative Office in Somaliland, according to Wu. However, it is still uncertain when the office will be officially opened due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
