HARGEISA, Sept. 18 (Horndiplomat) — Taiwan’s representative office in Somaliland has rejected claims that Taiwan is part of China and Somaliland is part of Somalia, reaffirming its partnership with Hargeisa after criticism from Beijing.
“China’s repeated lies will not become a truth,” the office said in a statement.
“Neither the ROC (Taiwan) nor the PRC is subordinate to each other,” it said, referring to Taiwan’s official name, the Republic of China, and the People’s Republic of China. “And China has never governed Taiwan for a second. Taiwan is not part of China.”
The office also challenged Beijing’s interpretation of United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758, which transferred China’s UN seat to Beijing in 1971. The resolution “makes no mention of Taiwan at all and does not authorize the PRC to represent Taiwan at the United Nations,” the statement said.
The representative office thanked Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi Irro for his “rock-solid support and endorsement” of Taiwan–Somaliland relations during his visit to the United States. It said it was pleased to see more democratic partners supporting the relationship, which “can catalyze more international attention, support, and opportunities for both nations.”
Taiwan and Somaliland established representative offices in each other’s capitals in 2020 and have since expanded cooperation. The office urged the Chinese embassy in Somalia “to stop its coercive acts and rhetoric trash” and uphold peace and stability in the Horn of Africa.
The statement followed remarks by the Chinese embassy in Somalia, which criticised Irro’s comments on Taiwan, asserted that Taiwan was part of China and Somaliland was part of Somalia, and warned of “serious consequences” over the Taiwan issue.
