Taiwan Finds a New Friend in Somaliland

The Foreign Policy Research Institute published on 1 July 2020 an analysis titled "Taiwan Finds an Unexpected New Friend in Somaliland" by Thomas J. Shattuck.

On 1 July, Taiwan and Somaliland announced that Taiwan will establish a "Taiwan Representative Office" in Somaliland.  This does not constitute formal diplomatic relations.  No country has formally recognized Somaliland, which declared unilateral independence from Somalia in 1991.  Only 15 countries have formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan.  The new Somaliland-Taiwan relationship will focus on agriculture, education, energy, fisheries, health, information and communications, and mining.