Taiwan’s MOFA moves to counter China’s lawfare, as two US representatives warned that Somalia’s passport move could result in severe retaliatory consequences and urged it to reverse its decision
By Fan Wei-li
Taiwanese Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung has ordered that a special project be launched to counter China’s “legal warfare” distorting UN Resolution 2758, a foreign affairs official said yesterday.
Somalia’s Civil Aviation Authority on Wednesday cited UN Resolution 2758 and Mogadishu’s compliance with the “one China” principle as it banned people from entering or transiting in the African nation using Taiwanese passports or other Taiwanese travel documents.
The International Air Transport Association’s system shows that Taiwanese passport holders cannot enter Somalia or transit there.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) protested the move and warned Taiwanese against traveling to Somalia or Somaliland until the Somalian government revokes the notice.
The official, who asked to remain anonymous, said that Lin was visiting Eswatini when Somalia made the announcement and that he has instructed the ministry to establish a response task force to counter the “new type of suppression.”
As Somalia’s ban clearly contravenes the universal value of personal freedom, the ministry expressed a solemn protest and, with the government of Somaliland, asked the US, other like-minded countries, and the International Civil Aviation Organization to take concrete actions and speak up for Taiwan, the official said.
The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs at a news conference said that China “highly commends” Somalia’s entry ban on Taiwanese passport holders, which undoubtedly proves that China was behind Somalia’s decision to suppress Taiwan, the official said.
Over the past few years, Beijing has consistently distorted UN Resolution 2758 in an attempt to squeeze Taiwan’s international space, they said, adding that the South African government last year cited it as the reason it was forcing Taiwan’s representative office to move out of Pretoria.
As Taiwan firmly stood its ground and other democratic countries voiced support for Taiwan, the office is still operating normally today, past two relocation deadlines, they said.
Facing Somalia’s suppression, Taipei would seek support from Taiwan-friendly international entities while continuing to counter China’s ambition to undermine Taiwan’s international status, the official said.
At a UN Security Council meeting last month, a US representative to the UN accused China of misusing the resolution in its attempts to isolate Taiwan, as well as mischaracterizing other countries’ policies and constraining their choices, the ministry official said.
The US also emphasized that the resolution does not preclude Taiwan’s meaningful participation in the UN system and other multilateral fora, they added.
Lin instructed the ministry and overseas representative offices to boost promotional and lobbying efforts and to make preparations to counter China’s legal warfare, the official said.
Meanwhile, US representatives Tom Tiffany and Andy Ogles on Thursday sent a joint letter to Somalian Ambassador to the US Dahir Hassan Abdi to express their deep concern regarding over “the decision of the authorities in Mogadishu to unilaterally designate Taiwanese passports as invalid.”
It is “a directive no doubt issued at the insistence of the People’s Republic of China,” the letter said.
“Please understand that this move could result in severe retaliatory consequences for both your government and all Somali nationals present in the United States, including those with ‘Temporary Protected Status’ and those here on visas or parole,” it said.
In addition to revoking the visas of Somalians in the US and swiftly repatriating them, Washington has other tools at its disposal, including immediately suspending all US visa issuances to Somalian nationals, banning Somalian passport holders from travel to or transit through the US, halting bilateral US assistance, closing down the Somalian embassy in Washington and expelling its staff, and suspending US-Somalia diplomatic relations, it said.
“After all, if the Somali government insists on acting as little more than a branch office of the Chinese Communist Party, there is no reason for the United States to continue to pretend that it is independent, legitimate, or worthy of US recognition,” Tiffany and Ogles wrote.
They urged the Somalian government to avoid potential repercussions by “immediately reversing its arbitrary and misguided edict regarding the validity of Taiwanese passports.”
Additional reporting by Lee I-chia
