KMT's position on Tsai administration's decision to establish a representative office in Somaliland
1. The Republic of China’s diplomatic situation is unique. It has long been oppressed by the Communist Party of China and treated unjustly by the international society. The KMT recognizes whatever that can concentrate limited resources and make good affinity with others in the world.
2. The mutual establishment of representative offices between the Republic of China (ROC, commonly known as Taiwan) and the Republic of Somaliland is already a fact. The KMT expects that it will comply with the principles of the “steadfast diplomacy and mutual benefit,” as put by President Tsai Ing-wen, and that it will be indeed helpful to the ROC’s international participation.
3. The KMT notes that an ongoing sovereignty dispute exists between the Republic of Somaliland and the Federal Republic of Somalia, as well as that the ROC has kept no diplomatic relations and very little interaction with the Federal Republic of Somalia. Despite these circumstances, the Tsai administration has still failed to establish formal ties with the Republic of Somaliland. More efforts are necessary.
4. The Republic of Somaliland has not been recognized officially by any sovereign governments and mainstream international organizations. Instead of providing ambiguous excuses, the ROC Ministry of Foreign Affairs should clearly explain why, in the absence of the pressure from the Communist Party of China, it is unable to establish a representative office under the title of "Republic of China.”
5. After the establishment of a representative office in the Republic of Somaliland, the ROC Ministry of Foreign Affairs must reasonably evaluate whether the ROC’s international participation will thus be excluded by Somalia and its close allies, and whether such an establishment would affect the future expansion of the ROC’s international space.
6. The ROC’s diplomatic resources are limited. It is likely that establishing a representative office in Somaliland is very costly, while Taiwan’s frequency of official interaction may be very low. For the people of Taiwan, ROC, the KMT will continue to keep close taps on the cost effectiveness evaluation of this new representative office.
(This is an abridged version of the KMT’s Chinese news release.)
