On December 26, 2025, Israel officially recognized Somaliland, also known as “Somaliland,” as an independent state. This move was seen as a prelude to Israeli military and intelligence plans to displace Palestinians from the Gaza Strip into Somaliland. The recognition followed a joint declaration signed by Israeli Prime Minister “Benjamin Netanyahu” and the president of the self-declared Somaliland region, “Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi,” establishing full diplomatic relations, including the exchange of ambassadors. Israel thus became the first UN member state to officially recognize Somaliland as a sovereign and independent state. This stance directly contradicts established Chinese positions, which fundamentally oppose this incomprehensible Israeli move and the potential for further Palestinian displacement plans.
Chinese security, military, and intelligence agencies understand that any Israeli recognition of Somaliland aims to alter the geographical or demographic reality, which China views as a dangerous precedent threatening international peace and security and maritime navigation in the Red Sea. From a Chinese intelligence perspective, this Israeli recognition of Somaliland is framed within the context of the ongoing normalization agreements, implicitly known as the Abraham Accords, with a clear Israeli price for formally incorporating Somaliland into these agreements, with the support of the United States. China’s strong apprehension regarding this Israeli recognition of Somaliland stems particularly from the initial agreement’s focus on cooperation in maritime security, which conflicts with China’s maritime interests in the region surrounding East Africa and the Horn of Africa.
Concerned circles in Beijing anticipate that this Israeli recognition of Somaliland will lead to fundamental shifts in the balance of power in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden region. This threatens the interests of China’s allies in the region, such as Iran. Israel, through this recognition and the establishment of an alliance and partnership with Somaliland, seeks to gain a strategic foothold off the Yemeni coast to monitor Houthi activity and thwart their attacks on Israeli commercial vessels transiting the Red Sea. Israel’s desire to recognize the breakaway region of Somaliland also aims to secure the Bab El-Mandeb Strait. Somaliland’s location overlooking the Gulf of Aden grants Israel greater ability to protect its ships bound for the port of Eilat and provide logistical support for Israeli maritime security operations. In addition to Israel’s desire to develop the port of Berbera in the Horn of Africa, which is seen as a potential alternative and competitor in the region, Israeli cooperation with Somaliland aims to enhance the efficiency of supply chains linking the Red Sea to African markets. This could reduce Israel’s reliance on other shipping lanes controlled by rival powers opposed to Israel. To this end, Israeli military assistance and recognition of Somaliland have been instrumental in achieving air superiority. Somaliland declared full control of its airspace in November 2025, a move further solidified by Israeli recognition of the new region through the provision of advanced Israeli technology for surveillance, signaling, and tracking systems. This impacts air traffic and navigation in the Horn of Africa, a development that seriously clashes with the interests of China and its Egyptian ally.
Accordingly, Beijing and Egypt officially announced their solidarity with the Federal Government in the legitimate capital, Mogadishu, in rejecting and strongly condemning this Israeli-Somaliland move, considering it a grave violation of their sovereignty and territorial integrity, while warning of its repercussions on the stability of the Horn of Africa region and maritime security in the Red Sea region.
In response to Zionist ambitions, China’s official stance was clear and aligned with Egypt’s regarding the unity and territorial integrity of Somalia and its current capital, Mogadishu, in the face of any Israeli ambitions or plans to forcibly displace Palestinians there. China publicly reiterated its commitment to the principle of respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states. Diplomatically, China has not recognized “Somaliland” as an independent state and considers it part of a unified Somalia, consistent with its traditional position on separatist movements globally.
Consequently, Chinese think tanks and intelligence agencies have offered various analyses regarding whether Israel’s recognition of Somaliland is intended to pave the way for the resettlement of Palestinians there, with Chinese officials focusing on the potential impact on maritime traffic in the region. As Chinese security, military, and intelligence agencies continue to analyze and link the nature and timing of Israel’s recognition of Somaliland to the possibility of US recognition of the breakaway region of Somaliland, which occupies a strategically important location on the Red Sea, and its acceptance of the principle of displacing Palestinians to it, Chinese concerns about the motives behind Israeli recognition of Somaliland began in 2024. This followed Somaliland’s signing of a memorandum of understanding with its neighbor “Ethiopia,” granting it a maritime corridor in exchange for recognition. This was met with rejection from the Somali capital, Mogadishu, and with Egyptian and Arab support for Somalia in confronting any separatist attempts secretly led by Israel to achieve its interests.
Here, relevant circles in Beijing view Israel’s recognition of Somaliland within the framework of regional competition and rivalry with Israel and the United States. For this reason, China prefers an alliance with Egypt to support Somali unity and reject any parallel entities that Israel might impose in the sensitive Horn of Africa region, given their impact on maritime navigation and the undeniable threat this poses to the interests of both Egypt and China. Beijing views the rapprochement between Israel and Somaliland, which is already supported by some in Washington, as part of a broader American strategy to counter Chinese influence in vital waterways, such as the Gulf of Aden, the Bab El-Mandeb Strait, and the Strait of Hormuz.
Therefore, China implicitly and categorically rejected any plan to transfer Palestinians to “the breakaway region of Somaliland,” considering Gaza to be non-negotiable Palestinian territory. China also categorically rejected Israel’s recognition of Somaliland, deeming it an infringement on Somali sovereignty and a service to agendas of displacement that Beijing opposes in all international forums. China emphasized that “Gaza is the homeland of the Palestinians and an integral part of the Palestinian territories.” Hence, the official Chinese position rejects any unilateral measures, actions, or plans for the forced displacement of Gaza’s residents to any other location—including Somaliland or South Sudan—considering such actions a grave violation of international law. China also stressed the principle of “Palestinian self-rule” as part of the two-state solution.
