\n\n“a diplomatic delegation from the self-declared independent republic of Somaliland \u2014 which broke away from Somalia in 1991 but has no formal diplomatic ties with major developed nations \u2014 worked the halls of Capitol Hill seeking sit-downs with whomever would meet with them. The delegation presented itself to U.S. government agencies and lawmakers as an African ally insulated from the instability and China ties that define many of its neighbors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Somaliland brought solid anti-China credentials to those meetings: it slammed the door on aid and cooperation with Beijing in July 2020 when it inked a diplomatic relations agreement<\/a> with Taiwan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That move infuriated the Chinese government because it marked a rare victory in Taiwan\u2019s battle against Beijing\u2019s diplomatic strangulation of the self-governing island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Somaliland also has geostrategic potential: its location on the Gulf of Aden and deep-water port of Berbera<\/a>, into which Dubai\u2019s DP World has poured $442 million<\/a> to build a new container cargo facility, would allow for naval power protection in the Middle East and East Africa. That\u2019s a serious enticement given U.S. Africa Command\u2019s security concerns<\/a> about its base in neighboring Djibouti: a Chinese naval installation just a few miles away was stood up in 2017.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe have come to the U.S. to show them that we have the same enemy, and our long-term strategy is we want to be closer to democracies and market economies like the U.S.,\u201d said Bashir Goth, head of mission at Somaliland\u2019s unofficial outpost in Alexandria, Va. \u201cWe are countering China [and] the Chinese influence in the Horn of Africa and we deserve [U.S. government] help.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n That pitch had impact \u2014 last week, the first-ever staff congressional delegation visited the territory, marking what the Somaliland Chronicle described<\/a> as \u201cthe highest-level American delegation\u201d in more than a decade. That fact-finding mission included staff members of Sen. Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.), Rep. Kay Granger (R-Texas), and Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas), ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The staffers returned home convinced of Somaliland\u2019s value to the U.S. in countering China\u2019s regional influence, said Piero Tozzi, senior foreign policy adviser for Smith.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n