By Fathi Jama, Visiting Scholar NTNU
In recent years, Taiwan and Somaliland have deepened their diplomatic ties, establishing representative offices in their capitals and expanding collaboration across various strategic domains through strengthened security, development, and economic cooperation. This has been done in spite of considerable political pressure from China and Somalia, both of which claim territorial sovereignty over Taiwan and Somaliland, respectively. While Beijing’s diplomatic pressure has become increasingly visible in Taiwan’s broader African engagement, Taiwan and Somaliland are nevertheless continuing on their path toward closer cooperation.
It is in this context that Taiwan is seeking to expand its presence in East Africa by engaging with Somaliland, creating a platform to utilize Somaliland’s Berbera Port as a strategic gateway for connectivity. The initial engagements have been centered primarily on trade and economic development, and include a livestock quarantine facility, fisheries programs, and trade initiatives, although security cooperation has also quietly grown, with a notable example being the coast guard agreement signed in July 2025.
In July 2023, a delegation from Somaliland visited Taiwan and signed a bilateral business and trade cooperation agreement, which aimed to improve commercial relations and strengthen trade and economic cooperation, particularly in the development of Somaliland’s livestock and fishery infrastructure. The Taiwan Business Association in Somaliland (TBAIS) was officially launched in December 2023 with similar aims: strengthening trade and commercial relations between Somaliland and Taiwan. Interviews with the association’s chairperson indicate that this platform has played a key role in strengthening not just Somaliland-Taiwan business and trade ties, but diplomatic relations and private sector investment as well. The organization also established an office in Hargeisa, the capital city of Somaliland.
January 2026 saw Taiwan’s first large-scale private sector investment in Somaliland ($20 million) with the launch of a joint Taiwan-Somaliland livestock quarantine zone. Livestock is Somaliland’s primary export, and much of it goes to the Middle East, including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar. With its advanced ID verification systems, the quarantine zone offers Somaliland an opportunity to access a larger export market . The project is being undertaken by a Taiwanese private company—Central Sky International Trading Company, under the leadership of Alyne Chen, who is also chairperson of the Taiwan Business Association in Somaliland.
My research fellowship focused on Taiwan’s prospective role in the utilization of Somaliland’s Berbera Port. As the epicenter of these growing bilateral ties, the port offers critical insights into regional opportunities, local advantages and the intensifying geopolitical trends in the region.
The port of Berbera in the Sahil region of Somaliland occupies a strategic position near the Bab al Mandeb—the maritime gateway connecting the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden to the wider Indian Ocean. Following DP World’s investment under the 30-year concession agreement signed in 2016 between Somaliland and the UAE, the port has been modernized from a locally operated harbor to a regional economic, commercial, and trade hub, with highly advanced infrastructure. Having been upgraded with an advanced 1,050 m quay and a 400 m berth which can handle massive triple-E-class container vessels, Berbera now serves as the primary maritime gateway linking the Middle East to the East African market and the Indian Ocean. This rapid development is attracting other countries to engage with Somaliland.
For Taiwan, Berbera and thus Somaliland have become an important commercial, trade, and logistics gateway to Africa itself. For Taiwan, whose African engagement is limited due to China’s large-scale expansion, Berbera’s involvement can provide Taiwan with access to the East African market, enhancing its diplomatic visibility and economic footprint. Its infrastructure allows Taiwan to increase its strategic engagement by investing in the trade sector, strengthening maritime security surveillance, and improving supply chain management.
Many business experts in Taiwan have shown increasing interest in the growing Ethiopian consumer market of over 130 million people. While China’s presence in the strategically significant Port of Djibouti and its broader influence in the region present a major challenge for Taiwan’s trade and economic relationships in East Africa, Taiwan still maintains a rare trade relationship with Ethiopia through its trade office in Addis Ababa under the Taiwan External Trade Council. This facilitates Taiwan’s import of millions of dollars’ worth of coffee every year from Ethiopia, through the port of Djibouti, transshipped via Singapore and Hong Kong and ultimately to the Port of Kaohsiung.
While trade engagements remain limited by restricted access to direct trade routes and ongoing diplomatic constraints, given the close cooperation in security and trade between Somaliland and regional players like Ethiopia, as well as the former’s strategic location in the Horn of Africa, it is a natural move for Taiwan to increase investment, and continue to improve ties between the two nations.
About the Author: Fathi Jama is a writer and analyst specializing in the geopolitical dynamics of the Horn of Africa, with a particular interest in Somaliland-Taiwan diplomatic relations. He has been a Visiting Scholar at NTNU, supported by the 2026 Taiwan Fellowship. He earned his Master’s degree in Political Science and International Relations Master’s degree at Admas University.