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Somalia has placed an entry ban on all Taiwanese passport holders, according to Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which accused China of pressuring the East African country into introducing the measures.
The ministry said on Tuesday evening that Somalia’s civil aviation authority informed it last week of the new policy that came into force on Wednesday.
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“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has strongly protested Somalia’s action made under the instigation of China to restrict the travel freedom and safety of Taiwanese nationals and has demanded that the Somali government immediately revoke the notice,” it said.
The ministry also said Somalia cited United Nations Resolution 2758, which in 1971 called for member states to restore Beijing as the “only lawful representatives of China” to the body, and invoked the “one China” principle.
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It “firmly rejected and strongly condemned” Somalia’s “misinterpretation” of the UN resolution, accusing Mogadishu of using it to “create the false impression that Taiwan is part of the People’s Republic of China”.
Both Taiwan and Somalia established representative offices—functioning like embassies—in each other’s capitals.
Responding to recent developments, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun stated that the move was a justifiable measure to safeguard Somalia’s sovereignty and reflects Mogadishu’s adherence to the one-China principle.
He added that Beijing “highly appreciates” Somalia’s stance and reaffirmed China’s support for Somalia.
Taiwan’s state agency, Focus Taiwan, said the Somalia travel restriction is unlikely to have much practical effect, noting that Taiwanese nationals rarely visit the country.
Citing government data, it said only 16 trips were made to Somalia by Taiwanese citizens between 2016 and February this year.
