MOGADISHU (Somaliguardian) – China has issued a sharp rebuke to U.S. Senator Ted Cruz following his public call urging the White House to formally recognize the breakaway region of Somaliland, calling his remarks “baseless attacks” and accusing him of interfering in Somalia’s internal affairs.
In a strongly worded statement issued on Saturday, the Chinese Embassy in Mogadishu condemned Cruz’s letter to President Donald Trump and rejected his assertions that Beijing was exerting diplomatic and economic pressure on Somaliland in retaliation for its support of Taiwan.
“This coercive letter constitutes serious interference in the internal affairs of Somalia and further exposes hegemonic and bullying attitude of certain US politicians to the Somali people,” the embassy said.
“China never interferes in other countries’ internal affairs and absolutely does not accept meddling in its own internal affairs by any country,” the statement added.
Cruz, a Texas Republican and a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has long positioned himself as a vocal critic of Beijing. In his statement, he lauded Somaliland as a key U.S. partner in counterterrorism efforts and a strategic player in safeguarding maritime routes along the Red Sea.
“Somaliland faces mounting pressure from adversaries, due in no small part to its role as a partner for the United States and our allies,” Cruz said. “The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is using economic and diplomatic coercion to punish Somaliland for its support for Taiwan, as well as to undermine that support.”
Somalia’s federal government, which opposes any recognition of the self-declared republic, responded cautiously to Cruz’s remarks. In a statement, Mogadishu reaffirmed its partnership with Washington on counterterrorism but warned that support for Somaliland’s independence could jeopardize joint efforts against Al-Shabaab militants and other extremist groups.
Somaliland, which declared independence from Somalia in 1991 after years of civil conflict, has not been internationally recognized but has maintained relative stability and stable governance in contrast to the rest of the country. It welcomed Cruz’s statement.
The dispute marks another flashpoint in the increasingly complex geopolitical competition playing out across the Horn of Africa, where China, the United States, and Gulf nations are vying for influence in a region critical to global shipping and counterterrorism.
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