Thread by @YahyeSL

#Somaliland and #Taiwan: The benefits

A THREAD

1/14. S/land and Taiwan have a lot in common such as both being a fully functioning democracies with volatile neighbours. Both are striving for international recognition and will not budge to threats or diplomatic pressure.

2/14. Somaliland brings a lot to the table. S/land’s strategic location in the Horn of Africa will give Taiwan a gateway into East Africa and beyond. Landlocked countries in Africa can benefit from this diplomatic move such as Ethiopia, South Sudan, and Uganda.

3/14. S/land will give Taiwan an important access to the Gulf of Berbera (Gulf Aden) where access to the Middle East, North Africa and the rest of the world can be established which will boost Taiwan’s export opportunities as well as a chance to make new friends in the region.

4/14. Somaliland offers Taiwan an opportunity to invest in the exploration and creation of a mining sector to extract valuable elements such as hydrocarbon deposits, oil and gas, as well as coal. This idea was also presented by Somaliland’s Foreign Minister Esse Kayd to Taiwan.

5/14. Taiwan’s main dishes include beef and seafood. S/land has the potential and capability to be Taiwan’s main supplier of beef and sea food. There is a diverse and abundance of marine resource available in S/land. The above can also be exported to Landlocked African countries

6/14. On the other hand, Taiwan will bring much needed expertise which S/land can benefit from. In 2021, despite lack of international recognition, from economic perspective, Taiwan was ranked 21st in the world (2021) in terms of GDP per capita globally. S/land can imitate Taiwan

7/14. Taiwan’s main export includes electronics, information/communications gadgets, audio/video devices, plastics/rubber, and machinery which will benefit Somaliland’s youthful population in terms of educational, entrepreneurship and being connected to the rest of the world.

8/14. As aforementioned, Taiwan’s economic power and influence can kick start or improve a number of sectors in S/land such Mining, Education, health, etc. Somaliland’s aim is to move from dependency to self-sufficiency will benefit greatly from this diplomatic friendship.

9/14. Somaliland’s reoccurring drought can be addressed using/imitating methods Taiwan implemented. The creation of the Wushantou Reservoir and the Chianan Irrigation Canal in Taiwan allowed the government to store and transport rain water which transformed Taiwan’s agriculture.

10/14. Politically, S/land’s move to be closer to Taiwan will bring #USA, #EU and other allies closer to Somaliland as the world attempts to combat the global #Chinese expansion which currently affects #Africa as a continent and has left many African countries in cribbing debts

11/14. Out of topic, As far as we know, there are 165 countries globally in debt ($385billion) to China such as #Djibouti, #Angola, #Ethiopia, #Kenya, #Congo, #Zambia #Cameroon, #Laos, #Kyrgyzstan, #PapuaNewGuinea, #Maldives, #Brunei, #Cambodia #Myanmar, #Pakistan, #Tajikistan.

12/14. on the other hand, there is a possibility Somaliland’s move can hinder our mission for recognition as #China’s influence on the aforementioned debt ridden countries who are being held at ransoms by China might not have the courage start a diplomatic relations with S/land

13/14. Nevertheless, one has to realise, China will never be the flame bearer for S/land’s mission for re-recognition and contrary to general believe, China cannot halt S/land’s recognition as evidenced by Bangladesh’s submission into UN membership in 1974 despite china’s veto.

14/14 To conclude, Somaliland’s Foreign Minister Essa Kayd said:

China cannot dictate who Somaliland can have relations with as it was a sovereign nation and "born free"

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