Oil and gas, that’s why Somaliland flirting with Taiwan is making China mad
Somaliland has decided with whom to share its wealth by signing a bilateral agreement with Taiwan.
Somaliland is a region of Somalia which proclaimed independence in 1991 but which no one recognizes in the world.
But Somaliland is also a land blessed by the pristine beauty of its nature and, above all, by rich mines and adequate deposits of gas and oil that are open to exploitation.
WHAT HAVE SOMALILAND AND TAIWAN DECIDED
This week Somaliland has decided with whom to share its wealth, signing on the basis of an agreement dating back to July a bilateral agreement with Taiwan with which, among other things, the two countries provide for their silent recognition and open their own representative office.
Excited to have collected the first international recognition in its history, Somaliland has nevertheless made great strides and has already completed the construction of its representative office in Taipei, which was inaugurated on Wednesday.
During the ceremony, the Taiwanese representative of Somaliland, Mohamed Omar Hagi Mohamoud, said – with an afterthought to the two countries, China and Somalia, enraged by the move – that there was nothing strange in the bilateral agreement between Somaliland and Taiwan because they are two independent states that have decided to establish relations "on the basis of common values and democracy".
RELATIONS BETWEEN SOMALILAND AND TAIWAN
Mohamoud then added that what Somaliland wants are simply investments in its mines, in the oil and fishing sector, in eco-tourism and in the "beautiful beaches" that shore up its sea.
"In the mining sector", explained the representative, "Somaliland has enormous potential for foreign investment, including deposits of hydrocarbons, oil, gas and even coal".
THE VALUE OF SOMALILAND
For his part, Taiwan's Foreign Minister Joseph Wu said he now expects the two countries to "explore common interests and mutual benefits in areas such as fisheries, energy, agriculture and other sectors".
"We are both under external pressure", added the minister, before specifying that both countries are "proud of our sovereignty and ready to defend it".
But the reactions from the stone guests were immediate, with Somalia calling Somaliland an "unwary" attempt to break the nation's unity and Beijing accusing Taiwan of separatism and acting with "desperation ".
THE REACTIONS OF SOMALIA AND CHINA
However, no one in Taipei wanted to let the party spoil. Indeed, the representative of Somaliland in Taiwan responded piquely to China, explaining that "other countries cannot dictate to Somaliland what Somaliland wants to do and with whom it should have relations".
In short, on Wednesday Somaliland got what it wanted most: the first international recognition of its independence and investments. For its part, Taiwan collects its 16th ally in its battle with China, which has long been campaigning to persuade other countries to withdraw recognition from Taiwan.
A mortgage and a hefty deal that appears to be a real joke for both Somalia and China.
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/mondo/sonaliland-cina-taiwan/ on Fri, 11 Sep 2020 05:49:32 +0000.