China opposes Israel's recognition of Somaliland: spokesman

China

China opposes Israel's recognition of Somaliland: spokesman

2025-12-29 16:40 Last Updated At：21:47

China firmly opposes Israel's formal recognition of Somaliland as an "independent sovereign state" and its agreement to "establish diplomatic relations" with it, Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said at a press briefing in Beijing on Monday.

He made the statement in response to a media inquiry about Israel's recognition of Somaliland.

"China is gravely concerned and firmly opposed to the move. China has noted the federal government of Somalia immediately issued a statement resolutely rejecting the move, and regional organizations including the African Union, the Arab League, the Gulf Cooperation Council, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, and many countries in the region have also strongly deplored and condemned the move. According to the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter and international laws, Somaliland is an inalienable part of the Somali territory. China firmly supports Somalia's sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity, and opposes any attempt to split Somalia's territory," Lin said.

"The Somaliland issue is entirely an internal affair of Somalia and should be resolved by the Somali people in a manner in compliance with their national conditions and constitution. Countries outside the region should cease inappropriate interference and no country should encourage or support other countries' internal separatist forces for its own selfish interests. We urge the Somaliland authorities to recognize the situation, and immediately cease separatist activities and collusion with external forces," he said.

According to reports, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Dec 26 that Israel officially recognizes Somaliland as "an independent sovereign state," and Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar announced that Israel and Somaliland had signed an agreement to establish full diplomatic relationship.

China to step up financial regulation with enhanced risk prevention, supervision: official

China intends to step up efforts to forge itself into a financial power by strengthening financial regulation across the three main aspects of risk prevention, supervision enhancement and advancing high-quality development, according to an official on Thursday.

At press conference in Beijing, Cong Lin, deputy director of National Financial Regulatory Administration, briefed media on the latest plans to reinforce financial regulations, with measures designed to provide support for business activities while preventing risks and tightening supervision.

"We should effectively and orderly prevent and defuse risks of local small and medium-sized financial institutions and firmly hold the bottom line against collapse. We will also promote the reduction of the number of local small and medium-sized financial institutions while improving their quality and optimizing their layout. Meanwhile, we will thoroughly implement a comprehensive campaign to prevent and combat illegal financial activities, so as to safeguard people's hard-earned money," said Cong.

"We need to improve the framework for classified and graded supervision and steadily advance differentiated supervision. Technological empowerment should be enhanced, with our 'look-through' regulatory capacity being strengthened. We also will guide financial institutions to accelerate transformation in their development mode and build their capacity for sustainable development," Cong noted.

To facilitate high-quality development, the administration will also look to implement a wider range of safeguarding strategies across key areas and address weak links. Financial support for stimulating consumption, expanding investment, stabilizing businesses and employment, and promoting scientific and technological innovation will also be increased, according to the official.