Beijing opposes any attempts by the African state\u2019s breakaway region to \u201ccollude\u201d with Taiwan in seeking independence, Foreign Minister Wang Yi has said<\/p>\n
China will continue to support Somalia in safeguarding its national sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has said.
\nThe minister made the commitment during a telephone conversation with his Somali counterpart, Abdisalam Abdi Ali, on Sunday, according to an official statement.
\nThe talks came after Israel signed a declaration on December 26 recognizing Somaliland, a breakaway region of Somalia, as a sovereign state. West Jerusalem became the first and only country to recognize the region, which has been self-governing since declaring independence from Somalia in 1991. The Israeli government\u2019s move has faced widespread criticism, with the African Union calling for its immediate revocation.
\nOn Sunday, the Chinese foreign minister reiterated Beijing\u2019s opposition to any attempts by Somaliland to \u201ccollude\u201d with Taiwan in seeking \u201cindependence.\u201d
\nHe said that in response to \u201cchanges in the international situation,\u201d China will strengthen its cooperation with Somalia in areas such as security, defense, and trade, while also advancing the strategic partnership between the two countries.<\/p>\n
READ MORE: African Union urges Israel to drop Somaliland recognition<\/p>\n
\u201cThe two countries have always respected and supported each other, and the China-Somalia strategic partnership will not be affected by temporary events,\u201d Wang stated.
\nIn response, Somalia\u2019s foreign minister thanked China for supporting the East African country in \u201copposing all acts of separatism and terrorism, and helping Somalia achieve national stability and development.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Wang was set to visit Somalia as part of his annual New Year tour of Africa, but the trip was postponed due to what the Chinese Embassy described as a \u201cschedule change\u201d and \u201cfriendly negotiations.\u201d
\nThe diplomat visited Tanzania and Ethiopia, ending his six-day trip with a final stop in Lesotho. On January 8, he launched the China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges at the African Union headquarters in Addis Ababa to strengthen cooperation and promote a \u201cbrighter future\u201d for relations between Beijing, Africa, and the Global South.
\nChina has maintained its position as Africa\u2019s largest trading partner for 16 straight years. In 2024, trade with African countries reached a record $295.6 billion, a 4.8% increase from the previous year, the Ministry of Commerce reported last May.<\/p>\n
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Beijing opposes any attempts by the African state\u2019s breakaway region to \u201ccollude\u201d with Taiwan in seeking independence, Foreign Minister Wang Yi has said China will continue to support Somalia in…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":25853,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,6,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25852","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economy","category-environment","category-politics"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t