China lauds Somalia's move against Taiwan, backs Mogadishu over Somaliland

ISTANBUL

China on Wednesday lauded Somalia over its recent ban on Taiwanese citizens from entering the country, backing Mogadishu over Somaliland, a breakaway region.

Mogadishu’s decision “reflects Somalia's firm adherence to the one-China principle, which China highly appreciates,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun told a news conference in Beijing.

“There is only one China in the world, Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory,” Guo added, underscoring that UN General Assembly Resolution 2758 affirms the one-China principle.

“Somaliland is part of the territory of Somalia. China firmly supports the efforts of the Federal Government of Somalia to safeguard national unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity, and firmly opposes the Taiwan authorities setting up institutions in Somaliland or conducting any form of official exchanges with Somaliland,” Guo said, according to an official transcript.

Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry on Tuesday protested Somalia's decision to stop accepting visitors or transit passengers with Taiwanese passports, according to Focus Taiwan.

Citing a 1971 UN resolution that effectively removed Taiwan from the international organization, the Somali Civil Aviation Authority announced on April 22 that it would no longer accept passports issued by Taiwan's authorities starting on April 30.

Ties between Taiwan and Somaliland have warmed since the two sides set up representative offices in each other's capitals in 2020.

China considers Taiwan its breakaway province, but Taipei insists on its independence.

A former British protectorate, Somaliland gained its independence in 1960 but days later joined Somalia.

In 1991, it declared independence from the rest of the country following a war but has received no international recognition.