
By. Abdifatah Barawani
Introduction
Since 2009, there have been gradually interactive relations between Taiwan (Republic of China) and the Republic of Somaliland; also, after ten years in 2019, the Director-General of the Department of West Asian and African Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Taiwan, Ali Yang Syin-yi, came to Somaliland and met with Somaliland’s governor of the Central Bank. In February 2020, Taiwan and Somaliland signed a bilateral protocol agreement in Taipei to officially establish mutual representative offices in both of their respective capital cities, and the treatment should be based on the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations in terms of immunity and diplomats, etc. In August and September 2020, the two countries established their representative offices smoothly and friendly.
Consequently, a new era of cooperation and mutual relationship has begun between Taipei and Hargeisa. Notably, in March 2021, Somaliland and Taiwan signed an information technology cooperation agreement concerned with the upgrade and development of the digitalization of Somaliland’s government. In addition, a wide range of diverse cooperation started related to the educational, technical, infrastructure, military, and health sectors between Taiwan and Somaliland.
Furthermore, a recent example of cooperation activities is that in August 2024, Taiwan assisted in launching a health information system at Berbera regional hospital to improve the hospital’s health quality services, with such significant and sole port city of Somaliland. Also, in June 2024, a Somaliland delegation went to Taiwan to further discuss the cooperation and development of minerals and energy sectors. Moreover, Taiwan donated $810,000 of seed funding for the new Cheetah Conservation Fund’s (CCF) education center in Somaliland. Not only that, but in August 2024, Taiwan has sponsored the construction of the ten-meter-wide ‘Taiwan Road’ for $1.85 million, approximately 70% of the total cost, which is a vital road that begins from the Egal International Airport to the capital city of Hargeisa.
Last year, Taiwan also provided $22 million for the construction of Taiwan Medical Centre in Hargeisa, which has 10 fully equipped emergency rooms and seven state-of-the-art intensive care units. In other areas also, Taiwan has significantly shown its commitment to support the democratization process of Somaliland, since particularly it has participated in the joint elections of parliamentary and local councils of Somaliland in May 2021 and also provided $2 million to the recent joint presidential and political associations election in November 2024.
Besides that, for the past couple of years, Taiwan has offered a wide range of scholarship programs within the ICDF of Taiwan in various fields and specializations in medicine, engineering, technology, social sciences, and technical studies, and most notably military scholarship programs to the senior military officers from Somaliland, and respectively offered an opportunity to the new high school graduates of Somaliland to undertake four-year academic military studies in Taiwan, such as Command, Staff College, and War College at Taiwan’s National Defense University (NDU).
Lastly, Somaliland and Taiwan are working together in the gas and oil exploration sector in Somaliland, and in 2021 Taiwan’s state-owned oil company CPC and Genel Energy signed an agreement to explore oil and gas in Somaliland, and also in March 2023, Taiwan and Somaliland held their first joint meeting related to the energy and mineral resources cooperation meeting. The CPC company has a 49% stake in the exploration of the block of SL10B/13 in Somaliland.
Taiwan’s Potential Opportunities
As one of the four Asian Tigers, together with Hong Kong, South Korea, and Singapore, Taiwan has experienced rapid industrialization and economic expansion during the past century, a phenomenon known as the “Taiwan miracle.” Taiwan has the largest foreign exchange reserves in the world and the 21st largest economy. United Microelectronics Corporation (UMC) and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) are two of the semiconductor industry’s leading manufacturers of advanced chips. In terms of market capitalization, TSMC ranks ninth globally and is the largest semiconductor manufacturer in the world. Taiwan’s main exporter of high-tech products and worldwide semiconductors, among other things, is the UMC.
Taiwan has a significantly developed transportation system, like railways, airports, airplanes, roads, and their respective institutions. In the education sector, Taiwan is a top-performing country in reading literacy, science, and mathematics. It has a strong human capital in various sectors, which has massively contributed to its development. The education system in Taiwan has been praised for its role in promoting the economic development of Taiwan. The Taiwanese economy is largely based on science and technology, which shows the level of development of the nation compared to other sectors in the underdeveloped and developed countries.
Although Taiwan (ROC) was a founding member of the United Nations and held seat of China in the Security Council and other UN bodies, but unfortunately has been expelled in 1971, but still it participates and become significant members in Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum since 1991 and World Trade Organization (WTO) since 2002, and also as members in International Energy Agency (IAE), and International Chamber of Commerce. ROC Taiwan was also a founding member of the Asian Development Bank. Furthermore, Taiwan has observer status at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
For such a developed nation with a potential capability that Somaliland could benefit from in various forms and a wide range of its sectors, it is an invaluable opportunity that needs to be strengthened at all costs. We, Taiwan and Somaliland, share common goals and objectives. Taiwan and Somaliland should establish entrenched relations based on mutual support, cooperation, and joint efforts.
Taiwan has long been an ally to the western nations and the U.S. for its development, assistance, and global cooperation. The U.S. Congress had passed a special act called the “Taiwan Relations Act” in 1979, and President Jimmy Carter signed it to maintain specifically the cooperation of Taiwan’s commercial, cultural, and other relations through unofficial relations besides the formal relations with the People’s Republic of China. The four key elements in the Act of 1979 include: 1) maintaining unofficial relations with Taiwan, 2) U.S. commitment to support Taiwan by providing it with the means to defend itself, including arms sales for defensive purposes, 3) although the U.S. has recognized the sole legal government of China as the PRC, it still would not take any position on the sovereignty of Taiwan, and 4) the continuation of economic, cultural, and other exchanges between the U.S. and Taiwan and a framework for the establishment of representative offices.
The Taiwan Relations Act Affirmation and Naval Vessel Transfer Act of 2014 was a bill passed by the U.S. in April 2014 and signed into law by President Barack Obama in December 2014. The primary objective of the Act concerns the strengthening of US-Taiwan relations, particularly in the areas of defense and security. The act guarantees the U.S.’s commitment to support the defense capabilities of Taiwan, including the transfer of decommissioned U.S. naval vessels to Taiwan, which would allow it to acquire surplus U.S. naval ships to bolster its defense capabilities. Moreover, this Act of 2014 reaffirms that the U.S. would continue to support Taiwan’s participation in international organizations.
Furthermore, another milestone act was the Taiwan Travel Act 2018, proposed in 2016 and passed by U.S. Congress in February 2018 and signed into law by the U.S. president Donald Trump as a follow-up to the Taiwan Relations Act. The key provisions of this Act aim to further enhance more official exchanges between the U.S. and Taiwan and to facilitate visits between Taiwanese officials and U.S. officials at all levels.
For the excessive pressures by China on Taiwan, the U.S. Congress passed a bill, the ‘Taiwan Allies International Protection and Enhancement Initiative Act of 2019,’ which was signed into law by Donald Trump in March 2020 to support Taiwan’s international presence. The key provisions of the Act include that the U.S. should take essential economic and diplomatic measures to assist these countries in sustaining their relations with Taiwan, support Taiwan’s global inclusion in international organizations and global affairs as membership or observer status without formal recognition, and also the U.S. should take actions against the countries that cut relations with Taiwan while in favor of the PRC relations by reducing the U.S. diplomatic or economic involvement in these countries.
For this wide-ranging cooperation between the U.S. and Taiwan, sequential economic and military support worth millions and billions of dollars has still continued after 2020 until the present, and that is a longstanding and remarkable relationship worthy of attention. This is also genuinely important for the Somaliland government, and the only nation that could bridge those relations between the U.S. and Somaliland is indeed Taiwan. After 2020, and the Somaliland’s establishment of relations with Taiwan, Somaliland’s involvement in the U.S. Congress and the White House has ever increased rapidly.
The Basis of Somaliland-Taiwan Relations
The five-year relations between Somaliland and Taiwan, although it’s a very short time in terms of interstate relations, fortunately reflect and show the commitment, willingness, and loyalty of further cooperation based on mutual respect and benefit. The Taipei-Hargeisa relations are based on various common principles and aspirations, since both countries are not internationally recognized, although they’ve established a well-founded de facto recognition, but unfortunately, they are lacking the de jure recognition from other states and multilateral organizations. Both Taiwan and Somaliland are members of the unrepresented nations and peoples organizations (UNPO).
Secondly, both Taiwan and Somaliland are located in volatile regions, the Horn of Africa and Indo-Pacific, which leads to overwhelmingly successive tensions, security challenges, and political chaos. That is also another fundamental principle that could be cooperated on in order to tackle the challenges in those unstable spheres, each one is positioned, and their possible threats and circumstances. Also, for this region in the Horn of Africa, Somaliland is located in the Gulf of Aden and Bab-El-Mandab, which are vital chokepoints for global maritime trade, and since Taiwan is one of the major producers in the world, both Somaliland and Taiwan specifically need to cooperate on the safety and security of these canals and counter the recently growing security threats from collapsed states and non-state armed groups in the region.
Thirdly, Somaliland’s rich mineral and oil resources are a significant potential for Taiwan’s developed industrial sector and could lead, as shown recently, to mutual cooperation and development of both countries. Taiwan’s lack of natural resources due to the island has led to importing many of its energy needs. Taiwan’s energy consumption is mainly dominated by crude oil and petroleum products, coal, natural gas, nuclear power, and hydroelectric power, with approximately 70% of its crude oil coming from the Middle East, while the natural gas comes from Indonesia and Malaysia. In these areas, Somaliland could be one of the major exporters of those energy products to Taiwan, and the first steps of this cooperation on energy matters have already been established.
In addition, Somaliland has a long coastline in the Gulf of Berbera (Gulf of Aden), which has potential sea resources, both living resources and non-living resources, and is an important factor that could benefit Taiwan’s sea resources interests and Somaliland’s economic growth, which could export it with appropriate trade and commercial frameworks.
Fourthly, Somaliland and Taiwan are both democratic nations. They share common values and political systems. Since they have similar systems and values, they could cooperate in the democratic development, elections, and freedom and liberty advancement of their respective regions and foster global partnerships and good governance matters.
Last but not least, Taiwan and Somaliland need global political cooperation and friends, and for this reason they’ve established relations in order to further expand their international presence and relations. Taiwan has a potential global footprint for its production, technology, trade, economy, and development, which led to international cooperation of most of the world nations. Somaliland has also lacked any significant global partnership; since Taiwan has that potential, it could assist Somaliland to connect with significant global powers and other states, including the U.S.A., and their respective western allies.
Underestimation Biases
Since the establishment of Taiwan-Somaliland relations, there have been ongoing rumors and propaganda campaigns intended to criticize the newly formed relations and specifically to underestimate and make less significant what Taiwan and Somaliland could benefit from each other. As I have explained recently, Taiwan is a very developed country in various sectors, most notably in technology, economy, trade, education, global affairs, and other touchable sectors. So, it’s a misunderstanding and less reasonable analysis to make such a non-plausible statement regarding Taiwan’s role in the global system.
Another statement is roaming in the media, including the ‘One China Policy versus One Somalia Policy,’ which means that, since Taiwan and Somaliland have established formal relations, it could lead to major pressures from China to Somaliland, with China attempting to use the ‘One Somalia Policy’ as a tool to undermine the global aspirations of Somaliland. But it seems like baseless analysis and pseudo-justifications.
Generally speaking, Somalia is not a member of the Security Council and is not as advanced and strong as China. Somaliland is more powerful, stable, and developed than this failed state. It even lacks the foreign policies and forces that would weaken Somaliland’s regional and international actions. In contrast to Taiwan (ROC China, Island) and the People’s Republic of China (PRC, Mainland), which share a single state foundation and legitimacy and each claim the formal legitimacy of its own state, Somalia and Somaliland were two states united, despite their longstanding existence and ongoing conflict. Somaliland is administered as a British protectorate, and Somalia has its own state under the UN Italian Trusteeship.
Furthermore, China has never established or put any willingness to do any significant cooperation and mutual benefit with the Somaliland government. Although China is a global rising power with significant influence in the Horn of Africa, throughout its history, China has never put any effort into establishing relations with Somaliland. Somaliland has also never benefited from or cooperated with the economic, trade, and technical assistance of China on the African continent, specifically the development activities in the Horn of Africa region. So in reality, the relations that the Somaliland government established with Taiwan have less impact on it. Since there isn’t any relationship between China and Somaliland that could be jeopardized by the Hargeisa-Taiwan relations.
Moreover, some other statements suggest that Taiwan is ‘unrecognized,’ same as ‘Somaliland,’ simply that also indicates less understanding of the context and how the global system works. Since the establishment of Somaliland-Taiwan relations, China attempted to undermine these relations, proposing several suggestions, but Somaliland hasn’t accepted them under any circumstance and protected the loyalty and relations with Taipei.
What is surprising is that when China attempted to weaken the relations between Hargeisa and Taipei, it had significant global and political impact. Of course. As I previously mentioned, Taiwan is a very developed and modernized country, and Somaliland lies in a strategic position in the Horn of Africa with rich mineral and oil resources. Anyone can understand the huge significance of those relations in global affairs, no matter the de jure recognition, since there are other ways, frameworks, and channels that interconnect the cooperation between de facto states.
The UN Security Council has five permanent members, including China. Some popular viewpoints suggested that since we have built relations with Taipei, Somaliland’s desire to join the UN would have unfavorable effects. While it might be possible, it isn’t always the case. Prior to the invalid union on July 1, 1960, Somaliland and Somalia were distinct in terms of history, law, and politics. The only viable way that could mediate this dispute is through neutral global courts and states.
China is not the only factor influencing Somaliland’s membership in international multilateral organizations; there are other factors at play as well. In fact, our de jure recognition is independent of all international rivalries, including those between the East and the West, the South and the North, the United States and China, or even Russia and the United States. It is a case that has been officially documented by the UN Trusteeship. The international community will grant Somaliland de jure recognition once the necessary capacity, legal, economic, and political will are in place.
Setting Effective Relations with Taiwan
The relations between states are something that has to be harnessed, protected, and built on a foundation of trust and mutual cooperation. Taiwan is a developed country that has potential capacity in terms of economic, political, trade, industrial, educational, and other important factors. Somaliland is also a very rich oil and petroleum resource country, a fertile nation, and lies in a strategic location for global maritime trade, which means both of them should further enhance their cooperation and sustain their relations at all costs.
Somaliland should enhance its cooperation with Taiwan for many of its local sectors, including the health sector and its facilities, infrastructure building and transportation development, and, most importantly, the education sector, which is the most urgent sector for Somaliland’s development, and Taiwan could assist Somaliland with how to build and develop the human capital, the most important element in the factors of production and the human development of nations. The technical education and the diverse knowledge of Taiwan are what Somaliland could benefit from and could lead to rapid progress and development. Somaliland must plan frameworks and strategies on how to benefit from the expertise and education of Taiwan, specifically the science, technology, and industrial dimensions. Taiwan is a loyal partner of Somaliland and has shown its commitment to contributing, assisting, and developing Somaliland.
Since Taiwan has a developed industrial sector and Somaliland could offer potential sources of minerals, oil, gas, and petroleum resources, it is also another way of mutual benefit, and it needs to be addressed for appropriate frameworks and agreements. The traditional dependency on livestock export could be replaced by the oil exploration and processing of Somaliland, which will lead to rapid economic growth and a stable economic source for the government of Somaliland. In the other resources in Somaliland, it can also be diversified, including the livestock, meat, milk production, skin hides, and else, to the global markets, including Taiwan and its potential connection with other global markets.
Additionally, Taiwan and Somaliland could work together on issues concerning political assistance, defense, intelligence, and security. Taiwan’s advanced technological infrastructure may also help Somaliland secure its technological and communication infrastructure. Particular emphasis must also be paid to the military and defense aspects, as well as to interagency sharing, intelligence collection, and information gathering, respectively. Effective channels, agreements, and frameworks should also be addressed. Similar to its international equivalents, Taiwan has its own country code that is distinct from the PRC country code and other government website domains.
Somaliland has been dealing with technical issues pertaining to the country code, website domains, and other things, which they continue to share with Somalia. For the benefit of the Republic of Somaliland’s data security, security risks, and independence status, Taiwan and Somaliland may work together to create an independent country code and domain for the Somaliland government.
Conclusion
To wind up, the relations between Somaliland and Taiwan are such a huge opportunity that they need to be carefully handled, harnessed, and protected at all costs. On the other side, Somaliland’s potential in oil, mineral, and petroleum resources, coupled with its strategic location in the Horn of Africa, is so significant to global maritime trade and specifically to Taiwan’s interests in the region.
I would sincerely recommend that the Somaliland government and its officials should never underestimate Taiwan’s potential capability, its benefits, and its role in global affairs. Respectively, Taiwan could also act as a bridge between the world and Somaliland, specifically to the western world and the other countries that have economic, trade, or political relations with Taiwan. The Somaliland government should strengthen its relations with Taiwan with a multi-approach perspective, a robust foundation, and effective collaboration based on mutual benefit and support in all of the sectors of the two countries.
About the Author:
Abdifatah Hassan Mohamed (Abdifatah Barawani) is a writer, political and security analyst. He has a BA in Political Science, and is currently pursuing MA in International Cooperation & Humanitarian Aid.
Twitter (X): @a_barawani
Email: abdifatah.h.mohamed@outlook.com
Email: barawaani@yahoo.com
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