By Eric Olander
It’s been a busy two days for a ministerial delegation from Somaliland, who are in Taiwan for the week. Soon after they arrived, Foreign Minister Essa Kayd Mohamoud met with President Tsai Ing-wen. Later on Wednesday, the group traversed the short distance across 2/28 Peace Park to the Foreign Ministry for meetings with Foreign Minister Joseph Wu.
Meantime in Beijing, the Chinese Foreign Ministry is unsurprisingly not happy about the visit. The ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) is “fanning the flames to undermine the independence and unification of other countries, harming others without benefiting themselves” said spokesman Zhao Lijian in response to a question about the ongoing Somaliland visit.
Suggested reading
- The Chinese Foreign Ministry Regular Press Briefing: transcript of remarks by Zhao Lijian for February 9, 2022
- Focus Taiwan (China News Agency): Somaliland’s foreign minister to visit Taiwan
There are few other issues in Chinese politics more sensitive than Taiwan — an island that Beijing considers to be a renegade province.
Credit | ChinaAfrica Project