Somalia and China

How do Somalia and China relate today?

China and Somalia have full diplomatic relations, and in September 2024 they raised them to a strategic partnership (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, June 2026). China's ambassador in Mogadishu is Wang Yu, and Somalia's embassy in Beijing is at 2 Sanlitun Road (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China).

Key facts in 2026:

• Trade: two-way trade was US$1.027 billion in 2025, according to China (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China).
• Taiwan and Somaliland: in September 2026 China's embassy condemned remarks on Taiwan made by Somaliland's president in the United States (Chinese Embassy in Somalia, 16 September 2026).
• Recent contacts: Ambassador Wang Yu met Somalia's defence minister, Ahmed Moallim Fiqi, in November 2026 (Chinese Embassy in Somalia).

When did contact begin?

Chinese ties with the Somali coast go back about 600 years. China's ambassador Qin Jian said in 2020 that the admiral Zheng He's fleets visited Mogadishu, which Chinese records called "Mugudushu" (Chinese Embassy in Somalia, 7 December 2020). For the older records, see Chinese records of the Somali coast.

The People's Republic of China and Somalia established diplomatic relations on 14 December 1960 (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China). China describes Somalia as the first East African country to establish relations with it (Chinese Embassy, Xi–Farmaajo meeting, 31 August 2018).

Premier Zhou Enlai and Vice-Premier Chen Yi visited Somalia in February 1964 (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China). In 1971 Somalia was one of the countries that sponsored the UN resolution restoring the People's Republic's seat (Chinese Embassy, 31 August 2018).

China closed its embassy during the civil war and reopened it on 12 October 2014 (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China). Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Ming attended the reopening ceremony (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China).

Who are the ambassadors and envoys?

Chinese ambassadors to Somalia, from the embassy's own list (Chinese Embassy in Somalia, past ambassadors):

• Zhang Yue: May 1961 to July 1964.
• Yang Shouzheng: September 1964 to March 1970.
• Fan Zuokai: September 1970 to January 1975.
• Zhang Shijie: March 1975 to April 1979.
• Li Yuchi: October 1979 to February 1983.
• Wang Shikun: September 1983 to October 1985.
• Shi Chengxun: January 1986 to March 1990.
• Xu Yingjie: April 1990 to April 1992.
• Wei Hongtian: August 2014 to February 2017.
• Qin Jian: March 2017 to June 2021.
• Fei Shengchao: August 2021 to April 2024.
• Wang Yu: from August 2024. He arrived on 6 August 2024 and presented credentials to President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud on 21 August 2024 (Chinese Embassy, 22 August 2024).

Between ambassadors, Chargé d'Affaires Chen Wendi led the embassy in April to June 2024 (Chinese Embassy, 19 April 2024). Liu Yuxi, China's special representative for African affairs, met Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre in Mogadishu on 6 December 2022 (Chinese Embassy, 8 December 2022).

Who built the tie?

• Zhou Enlai, premier, visited Somalia in February 1964; Radio Mogadishu still keeps a recording of his speech (Chinese Embassy, 18 July 2022).
• Li Xiannian, China's president, visited in March 1986 (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China).
• Wei Hongtian, ambassador, signed an economic and technical cooperation agreement with Foreign Minister Abdisalam Omer on 1 April 2015 (Chinese Embassy, 2 April 2015).
• Xi Jinping, president, met President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud in Johannesburg on 4 December 2015, President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo in Beijing on 31 August 2018, and Hassan Sheikh Mohamud again in Beijing on 6 September 2024 (Chinese Embassy, 7 December 2015; 31 August 2018; MFA China).
• Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo, president, signed the Belt and Road memorandum during his 2018 Beijing visit (Chinese Embassy, 31 August 2018).
• Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, president, agreed the strategic partnership with Xi Jinping at the September 2024 China–Africa summit (Chinese Embassy, Wang Yi–Fiqi meeting, 20 February 2025).
• Wang Yi, foreign minister, met Foreign Minister Ahmed Moallim Fiqi in New York on 18 February 2025 (Chinese Embassy, 20 February 2025).
• Fei Shengchao, ambassador, handed over military vehicles to Defence Minister Nur and army chief General Rageh on 18 March 2022 (Chinese Embassy, 19 March 2022).
• Qin Jian, ambassador, visited Chinese companies in Somaliland on 1–8 August 2020 (Chinese Embassy, 10 August 2020).
• Zhang Nan, a Chinese armed police guard, was killed defending the embassy in 2015; the embassy holds a yearly memorial (Chinese Embassy, 27 July 2025).

What agreements have they signed?

• 14 December 1960: establishment of diplomatic relations (MFA China).
• 1 April 2015: agreement on economic and technical cooperation, giving a grant for projects agreed by both governments (Chinese Embassy, 2 April 2015).
• September 2018: memorandum on jointly building the Silk Road Economic Belt and 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road (MFA China).
• 20 June 2022: exchange of letters on emergency food aid for the drought, signed by Ambassador Fei and the humanitarian affairs minister (Chinese Embassy, 21 June 2022).
• September 2024: upgrade to a strategic partnership (MFA China).

Which leaders have visited?

Chinese leaders in Somalia (MFA China):

• February 1964: Premier Zhou Enlai and Vice-Premier and Foreign Minister Chen Yi.
• July 1978: Vice-Premier Chen Muhua.
• November 1978: Vice-Premier Geng Biao.
• October 1984: Yang Jingren, vice-chairman of the national political advisory body.
• March 1986: President Li Xiannian.
• 12 October 2014: Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Ming, for the embassy reopening.

Somali leaders in China (MFA China):

• September 2018: President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo, China–Africa summit in Beijing.
• June 2019: Deputy Prime Minister Mahdi Guled, China–Africa trade expo; Foreign Minister Ahmed Isse Awad, summit follow-up meeting.
• May 2024: Foreign Minister Ahmed Moallim Fiqi, China–Arab States forum.
• September 2024: President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, China–Africa summit in Beijing.
• June 2025: Foreign Minister Abdisalam Abdi Ali, summit follow-up meeting.
• August 2025: Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre, China–Arab States Expo.

How much do they trade?

China gives two-way trade as US$1.027 billion in 2025 (MFA China). China mainly exports chemical fibres, telecoms equipment and construction machinery to Somalia. It mainly imports gums, gemstones and leather (MFA China).

China's foreign minister invited Somalia in February 2025 to use China's zero-tariff policy for the least developed African countries (Chinese Embassy, 20 February 2025). In August 2020 Chinese firms in Somaliland included a stone-mining company, a steel structure plant and a drinks factory (Chinese Embassy, 10 August 2020).

How much aid and money has gone in?

Between 1960 and 1991, China says it carried out more than 80 projects in Somalia (Chinese Embassy, 7 December 2020). These included roads, a reservoir, a stadium, the National Theatre, Benadir Hospital and the Hargeisa water supply (Chinese Embassy, 7 December 2020).

The main named projects:

• National Theatre, Mogadishu: built with Chinese aid in 1967 (Chinese Embassy, 16 July 2025); repaired with Chinese funds, with work completed in July 2022 together with Radio Mogadishu (Chinese Embassy, 18 July 2022).
• Benadir Hospital, Mogadishu: built by China in 1976; in 2017 it had 550 beds and 393 staff (Chinese Embassy, 10 August 2017). Its operating theatres were renovated with Chinese help in April 2022 (Chinese Embassy, 20 April 2022).
• Medical teams: China sent 13 medical teams to Somalia between 1960 and 1991. One embassy text gives 393 people and another 397 (Chinese Embassy, 2 July 2020; 7 December 2020).

Recent aid:

• Scholarships: more than 50 Chinese government scholarships a year in 2018–2020 (Chinese Embassy, 2 July 2020). A "China–Somalia Friendship Scholarship" at the Somali National University began in 2024 (Chinese Embassy, 19 November 2025).
• Vaccines: 500,000 Sinopharm doses arrived in Mogadishu on 5 December 2021 (Chinese Embassy, 6 December 2021).
• Humanitarian funding recorded by the UN: US$16 million in 2011, US$13 million in 2017 and US$7.5 million in 2018 (OCHA FTS, 2011; 2017; 2018).
• Police and army: police uniforms on 26 September 2024 and military vehicles and equipment on 18 March 2022 (Chinese Embassy, 27 September 2024; 19 March 2022).

What about security?

China gave military vehicles and equipment to the Somali National Army in March 2022 (Chinese Embassy, 19 March 2022). In 2015 Xi Jinping said China would help build Somalia's defence capacity and support the African Union mission (Chinese Embassy, 7 December 2015). In January 2025 the crew of a Chinese fishing vessel seized by gunmen off Puntland was freed, with Chinese, federal and Puntland officials in contact (Chinese Embassy, 13 January 2025).

See Foreign forces in Somalia and Piracy off Somalia.

How does China deal with Somaliland and the member states?

China states that it recognises the Federal Government as "the sole legitimate government" of all Somalia, including Somaliland (Chinese Embassy, 24 May 2024). Key events:

• 1 July 2020: Taiwan announced ties with Somaliland, covering fisheries, agriculture, energy, mining, health and education; China's foreign ministry said it "firmly opposes" official exchanges between them (VOA, 6 July 2020).
• 2020: Taiwan and Somaliland opened representative offices in each other's capitals (Al Jazeera, 30 April 2025).
• August 2020: Ambassador Qin Jian visited Chinese businesses in Somaliland (Chinese Embassy).
• May 2024: China's embassy objected to a Somaliland delegation attending the 20 May inauguration in Taiwan (Chinese Embassy, 24 May 2024).
• September 2026: the embassy condemned President Abdirahman Irro's Taiwan remarks in the United States and the Taiwan office in Hargeisa's statements on UN resolution 2758 (Chinese Embassy, 16 September 2026; 19 September 2026).

Have there been disputes?

No dispute between the two governments was found in the sources used. Both oppose Somaliland's ties with Taiwan. On 14 January 2024 Somalia's government restated its one-China policy after Taiwan's election (Chinese Embassy, 16 January 2024). From 30 April 2025 Somalia barred holders of Taiwanese passports from entry and transit, citing resolution 2758; Taiwan asked Mogadishu to revoke the ban (Al Jazeera, 30 April 2025).

How many Somalis live in China?

No official count of Somalis in China was found. Most are students: China gave more than 50 government scholarships a year in 2018–2020 (Chinese Embassy, 2 July 2020), and about 100 officials, students and alumni attended the embassy's August 2025 reception for scholarship students (Chinese Embassy, 19 August 2025).

Where does China stand in the UN and other bodies on Somalia?

China says it has spoken for Somalia's interests in the UN Security Council since 1991 (Chinese Embassy, 7 December 2020). China congratulated Somalia on its 2025–2026 Security Council seat, and Somalia praised China's February 2025 Council presidency (Chinese Embassy, 20 February 2025). Both work together in the Forum on China–Africa Cooperation and the China–Arab States Cooperation Forum (Chinese Embassy, 31 August 2018).

Related pages

• Chinese records of the Somali coast
• Foreign forces in Somalia
• Piracy off Somalia
• Trade, exports and imports
• Foreign companies in Somalia
• Hassan Sheikh Mohamud
• Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo
• Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi Irro