Spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Somalia answers questions from reporters about the collusion between Somaliland and the Taiwan authorities to seek independence.

Question: Recently, the foreign affairs department head of the local authorities in Somaliland visited the Taiwan region of China and signed a so-called "Coast Guard Cooperation Agreement" with the Taiwanese authorities. What is your comment on this? This action by the local authorities in Somaliland blatantly violates the One China principle, harms China's sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity. The Chinese side strongly opposes and expresses strong dissatisfaction with this. There is only one China in the world, and Taiwan is an inseparable part of China's territory. The government of the People's Republic of China is the sole legitimate government representing the whole of China. Taiwan has never been a country in the past, nor will it be in the future. The collusion between the Taiwan authorities and the local authorities in Somaliland in a political maneuver is nothing but self-deception and cannot stop the historical trend of China's reunification. This year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, as well as the 80th anniversary of the recovery of Taiwan. Documents with the force of international law such as the Cairo Declaration and the Potsdam Declaration constitute a part of the post-war international order, and have laid the historical and legal foundation for Taiwan being an inseparable part of China's territory. On October 25, 1971, the 26th session of the United Nations overwhelmingly adopted Resolution 2758, which completely and thoroughly resolved the issue of representation of the entire China, including Taiwan, in the UN from political, legal, and procedural perspectives, completely eliminating any possibility of creating "two Chinas" or "one China, one Taiwan". Somaliland is a part of the territory of Somalia. The Chinese side strongly opposes Somaliland establishing reciprocal institutions with the Taiwan authorities or engaging in any form of official exchanges under any pretext. We advise the local authorities in Somaliland to recognize the situation and not to stand against the trend of the times and historical momentum, in order to avoid facing the consequences in the end.