“This historic visit marks an important milestone,” he said during his meeting with Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen. Tsai hailed the relationship as one of her administration’s chief diplomatic breakthroughs. Somaliland declared independence from Somalia during the 1991 civil war, while China sees Taiwan as its own territory, whereby neither territory is recognized by the United Nations. But conflict and election delays in Somaliland have in recent months cooled Western optimism about the territory. Against this backdrop, Taiwanese president called Taiwan and Somaliland “like-minded partners who share the values of democracy and freedom,” the analysis notes.

Source: The North Africa Journal July 07, 2023 22:02 UTC