Communist China cannot dictate who Somaliland can have relations with as it was a sovereign nation and “born free”, the Foreign Minister emphasised.

Speaking to reporters, Somaliland Foreign Minister Essa Kayd said China cannot dictate to his country.

We were born free and we will stay free. We will run our business the way we want. China cannot dictate, no other country can dictate.

Mr. Kayd added that they were open to dealing with anyone who respected them as a sovereign country and wanted to do business without any strings or conditions.

I think that’s as clear as I can go on China, he stressed.

Mr. Kayd replied to Communist China’s Foreign Ministry functionary who said this week Taiwan was “fanning the flames to undermine the independence and unification of other countries, harming others without benefiting themselves” by hosting a senior ministerial delegation from Somaliland.

Somaliland and Taiwan, claimed by China as its own territory and likewise diplomatically isolated, set up representative offices in each other’s capitals in 2020, angering Beijing and Mogadishu.

Somaliland broke away from Somalia in 1991 but has not gained widespread international recognition for its independence. The region has been mostly peaceful while Somalia has grappled with three decades of civil war.

Strategically situated on the Horn of Africa, Somaliland borders Djibouti, where Communist China maintains its first ever overseas military base.

Taiwan has been all but driven out of Africa diplomatically by Communist China in recent years, with only tiny eSwatini now maintaining full relations with the island.