Taiwan and Somaliland are to establish representative offices in each other’s countries, after signing a treaty in Taipei in February, Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) announced yesterday.
The two nations have agreed to establish a “Taiwan Representative Office” and “Somaliland Representative Office,” Wu told a news conference in Taipei, after Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Wang Ting-yu (王定宇) a day earlier shared a foreign media report that Somaliland President Muse Bihi Abdi has appointed a representative to Taiwan.
Taiwan maintains diplomatic ties with 15 countries, with Eswatini being its only ally in Africa.
Photo: Chen Chih-chu, Taipei Times
Somaliland, which is on the Horn of Africa and has a population of nearly 3.9 million, does not have formal relations with China.
This is not the first time that a representative office has used the name “Taiwan,” which was gladly received by Somaliland, Wu said, adding that the name “Republic of China” was not used because formal ties have not been established.
Taiwan has not set any limits on what form bilateral relations should take, and both sides finally agreed that representative offices would best reflect their interests, Wu said, adding that discussions began at the end of last year.
He and Somaliland Minister of Foreign Affairs Yasin Hagi Mohamoud Faraton on Feb. 26 signed a treaty at a ceremony in Taipei, after which Faraton also met with President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), Wu said.
The treaty is named the “Bilateral Protocol between and by the Government of the Republic of China (Taiwan) and the Government of the Republic of Somaliland,” the ministry said.
While the exact dates for the offices’ launches are still to be negotiated, Taiwan has since Feb. 6 sent officials to Somaliland to make preparations, he said.
Both sides would collaborate in areas such as agriculture, education, energy, fisheries, health, information and communications, and mining, he added.
Asked if Taiwan recognizes Somaliland as an independent country, as the East African country is not recognized by the UN, Wu said that eight countries or global organizations, including Canada, Denmark, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Turkey, the EU, the UK and the UN, have established representative agencies there.
Somaliland also has representative offices in 22 countries, he said, adding that Taiwan’s measure is no different from that of other countries.
“Somaliland has been independent since 1991 and has held three presidential elections,” Wu said.
It is also recognized by many other countries as a democratic and uncorrupt nation, he added.
Somaliland, which is in northwestern Somalia, in 1991 declared independence from the latter.
Taiwan has since 2009 gradually developed positive relations with Somaliland, with bilateral collaborations focusing on boosting maritime security, medicine and health, and education, Wu said.
Both sides would appoint a senior diplomat and four officers for each new office, Wu said, but withheld the officials’ names.
Yen Chen-shen (嚴震生), a research fellow at National Chengchi University’s Institute of International Relations and an expert on African politics, said that it is a positive development for Taiwan, but the Ministry of Foreign Affairs should have established formal ties with Somaliland in one swoop.
Establishing a representative office does not necessarily lead to establishing formal ties, he added.
While the office might be of “very limited” help in expanding relations with other African nations, given China’s influence on the continent, it symbolizes that “at least we are fighting back,” he said.
RESILIENCE: Deepening bilateral cooperation would extend the peace sustained over the 45 years since the Taiwan Relations Act, Greene said Taiwan-US relations are built on deep economic ties and shared values, American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Director Raymond Greene said yesterday, adding that strengthening supply chain security in critical industries, enhancing societal resilience through cooperation and deepening partnerships are key to ensuring peace and stability for Taiwan in the years ahead. Greene made the remarks at the National Security Youth Forum, organized by National Taiwan University’s National Security and Strategy Studies Institution in Taipei. In his address in Mandarin Chinese, Greene said the Taiwan-US relationship is built on deep economic ties and shared interests, and grows stronger through the enduring friendship between
GAINING STEAM: The scheme initially failed to gather much attention, with only 188 cards issued in its first year, but gained popularity amid the COVID-19 pandemic Applications for the Employment Gold Card have increased in the past few years, with the card having been issued to a total of 13,191 people from 101 countries since its introduction in 2018, the National Development Council (NDC) said yesterday. Those who have received the card have included celebrities, such as former NBA star Dwight Howard and Australian-South Korean cheerleader Dahye Lee, the NDC said. The four-in-one Employment Gold Card combines a work permit, resident visa, Alien Resident Certificate (ARC) and re-entry permit. It was first introduced in February 2018 through the Act Governing Recruitment and Employment of Foreign Professionals (外國專業人才延攬及雇用法),
The Ministry of Transportation and Communications yesterday said that it would redesign the written portion of the driver’s license exam to make it more rigorous. “We hope that the exam can assess drivers’ understanding of traffic rules, particularly those who take the driver’s license test for the first time. In the past, drivers only needed to cram a book of test questions to pass the written exam,” Minister of Transportation and Communications Chen Shih-kai (陳世凱) told a news conference at the Taoyuan Motor Vehicle Office. “In the future, they would not be able to pass the test unless they study traffic regulations
‘COMING MENACINGLY’: The CDC advised wearing a mask when visiting hospitals or long-term care centers, on public transportation and in crowded indoor venues Hospital visits for COVID-19 last week increased by 113 percent to 41,402, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday, as it encouraged people to wear a mask in three public settings to prevent infection. CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Deputy Director Lee Chia-lin (李佳琳) said weekly hospital visits for COVID-19 have been increasing for seven consecutive weeks, and 102 severe COVID-19 cases and 19 deaths were confirmed last week, both the highest weekly numbers this year. CDC physician Lee Tsung-han (李宗翰) said the youngest person hospitalized due to the disease this year was reported last week, a one-month-old baby, who does not