The Chinese Foreign Ministry released a statement on Monday condemning Israel’s recognition of the separatist Republic of Somaliland, after Taiwan became the first state to welcome Tel Aviv’s move.
China opposes the Israeli recognition of Somaliland as an “independent sovereign state” and the decision to “establish diplomatic relations” with it, said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian. “No country should encourage or support other countries’ internal separatist forces for its own selfish interests,” he added, while urging the country of Somalia to halt “separatist activities and collusion with external forces.”
The spokesman made the comments during a news briefing. “China firmly supports Somalia’s sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity, and opposes any moves that undermine Somali territorial integrity,” he went on to say.
A day earlier, Taiwan became the first state to welcome Israel’s recognition of Somaliland. The Taiwanese Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Israel, Taiwan, and Somaliland are “like-minded democratic partners sharing the values of democracy, freedom, and rule of law.“
Last week, Israel became the first state to formally recognize Somaliland, which broke away from Somalia in 1991 but had never been recognized by any UN member state. Somali officials slammed the move.
The Israeli government has been aiming for Somaliland to serve as a potential destination for Palestinians that Tel Aviv aims to forcibly displace from Gaza, according to multiple reports over the past year.
Somali Prime Minister Hamza Barre said that Israel was “searching for a foothold in the Horn of Africa” and called on it to recognize and accept a Palestinian state instead.
Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud referred to the move as a “naked invasion” and said it poses a “threat to regional stability.”
The Arab League, Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), African Union, and Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) also strongly rejected the Israeli recognition of Somaliland. Iran’s Foreign Ministry called the move “malicious.”
China’s rejection of the recognition coincided with a report by Hebrew newspaper Maariv, which claimed that after recognizing Somaliland, Israel is now considering recognizing the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC) in Yemen, hoping for strategic cooperation on the Red Sea coast against Ansarallah.
The secessionist STC has recently swept across large swathes of central and southern Yemen with the hopes of creating an independent state. According to recent reports, Israel and Taiwan have also been enhancing their relationship.
Taiwanese Foreign Minister Francois Wu recently made a secret visit to Israel, sources told Reuters on 11 December. In October this year, Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te said that Israel serves as a model for the island to strengthen its defenses.
Weeks earlier, Taipei City unveiled the T-Dome system – inspired by Tel Aviv’s Iron Dome missile defense system. Taiwan and Israel do not have formal diplomatic relations. Pressure from China, which views Taiwan as one of its provinces, has left Taipei with very few diplomatic ties to other states.
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