m.theepochtimes.com-Somaliland’s relations with Taiwan are the best they have ever been, the East African state’s top diplomat said in a recent trip to Taipei, adding that Somaliland is free to pursue its own diplomacy independent of Chinese demands.
Taiwan’s defense expert said that Somaliland’s strategic location could limit the expansion of Chinese influence in Africa. And a Taiwan-Somaliland friendship would benefit both the quasi-nations.
In recent years, ties between Taiwan and Somaliland have blossomed as each is a de facto independent and democratic state but claimed by a larger neighboring country.
“Somaliland broke away from Somalia in 1991 but has not gained widespread international recognition for its independence. The region has been mostly peaceful, while Somalia has grappled with three decades of civil war,” according to Reuters.
Similarly, Taiwan, a democratic self-ruled island, has faced China’s sovereignty claim for over half a century and is likewise diplomatically isolated.
The two quasi-nations set up reciprocal representative offices, which essentially function as embassies in each other’s capitals in 2020, angering Beijing and Mogadishu (Somalia).
On Feb. 8, Somaliland’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Essa Kayd led a high-level delegation on a goodwill trip to Taiwan. Its members met with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, Foreign Minister Joseph Wu, and other top Taiwanese officials, according to Taiwan’s state-owned Central News Agency (CNA).
@ https://m.theepochtimes.com/
