China’s Influence Behind Somalia’s Passport Ban Exposes the Global Reach of Beijing’s Taiwan Policy

This week, Somalia banned travelers with Taiwanese passports, a move that has drawn fierce condemnation from Taipei and silence from Mogadishu. While the directive is officially framed as a sovereign decision, the fingerprints of Chinese geopolitical pressure are unmistakable. As Taiwan strengthens ties with Somaliland—a self-declared republic seeking global recognition—China has flexed its influence to quash any relationship that challenges its “One-China” narrative.

At first glance, Somalia’s ban might appear to be a minor bureaucratic move, but in reality, it signals how deeply Beijing has penetrated African foreign policy. Taiwan’s partnership with Somaliland has become a new front in China’s campaign to isolate the island diplomatically. The two unrecognized entities set up representative offices in 2020—a bold gesture that infuriated both China and Somalia, each claiming sovereignty over Taiwan and Somaliland respectively.

Rather than respond with dialogue or diplomacy, Somalia’s decision to bar Taiwanese passport holders is a political maneuver designed to curry favor with Beijing, whose financial and infrastructural support has become a lifeline for many African states. The Somali Civil Aviation Authority’s sudden notice to airlines—taking effect on April 30—did not emerge in a vacuum. It follows a predictable pattern of China leveraging its economic clout to influence countries to sever ties, formal or informal, with Taipei.

China’s response was swift and telling. A foreign ministry spokesperson praised the move as a “legitimate measure” and an affirmation of Somalia’s commitment to the One-China principle. This applause should raise alarms about how far China is willing to go to enforce its narrative, even if it means exploiting fragile states.

China’s strategy here is not new, but it’s becoming more aggressive. Diplomatic strangulation of Taiwan—once reserved for larger global powers and international forums like the UN—has now descended into bilateral actions involving under-resourced and conflict-torn nations like Somalia. By using its influence to coerce decisions from vulnerable states, China ensures that Taiwan remains in a perpetual diplomatic no-man’s-land.

Meanwhile, Taiwan continues to act as a functioning, democratic nation. It holds multi-party elections, maintains its own military, and operates a fully independent legal and economic system. The ban, therefore, is not about legality or international norms; it's about ideological allegiance and geopolitical loyalty.

Somalia’s action also highlights the contradictions in China’s foreign policy. On one hand, China champions non-interference and respect for sovereignty. On the other, it directly or indirectly meddles in the internal diplomatic choices of other countries, even when they involve unofficial or people-to-people relations.

For Somalia, the irony is sharp. The country itself is battling internal division and international non-recognition in the form of its own breakaway region, Somaliland. Yet it has chosen to align with a global power that ruthlessly denies the same principles of autonomy to Taiwan that Somaliland seeks for itself.

This episode is more than a travel ban—it’s a case study in how China exports its political battles across continents, using aid, investment, and international partnerships to reshape global alignment. And in doing so, it drags nations like Somalia into a conflict they did not start and do not fully control.

If Taiwan’s growing relationship with Somaliland is a story of shared democratic ambition and mutual recognition, Somalia’s passport ban is a tale of external pressure, lost sovereignty, and geopolitical puppetry.

Photo: Ann Wang/Reuters