By Yimou Lee / Reuters, Taipei
China cannot dictate who Somaliland can have relations with as it was a sovereign nation and “born free,” Somaliland Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Essa Kayd said yesterday in Taipei.
Somaliland broke away from Somalia in 1991, but it has not gained widespread international recognition as an independent territory. The region has been mostly peaceful while Somalia has grappled with three decades of civil war.
Somaliland and Taiwan established representative offices in each other’s capitals in 2020.
Strategically situated on the Horn of Africa, Somaliland borders Djibouti, where China maintains its first-ever overseas military base.
The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said this week that by hosting a senior ministerial delegation from Somaliland, Taiwan was “fanning the flames to undermine the independence and unification of other countries, harming others without benefiting themselves.”
Speaking at a news conference in Taipei yesterday, Kayd said that China cannot dictate terms to his country.
“We were born free and we will stay free. We will run our business the way we want. China cannot dictate, no other country can dictate,” he said.
Kayd added that Somaliland is open to dealing with anyone who respects it as a sovereign country and wants to do business without any conditions.
“I think that’s as clear as I can go on China,” he said.
Taiwan has been all but driven out of Africa diplomatically by China in the past few years, with only the Kingdom of Eswatini now maintaining full relations with Taipei.
China has ramped up pressure on countries not to engage with Taiwan as it seeks to assert its sovereignty claims, and the two frequently trade barbs about using “dollar diplomacy” by trading loans and cash gifts for international recognition.
Somaliland Minister of Finance Saad Ali Shire said his country had made no requests so far to borrow from Taiwan.
“There has been a flow of funds from Taiwan to Somaliland in the form of aid and in the form of investment, which we welcome,” he said.
Source: Taipei Times