( Last Update: 2011/08/22)

In 2010, the friendly relationship between the People's Republic of China and the Federal Republic of Somalia continued to grow

The political relations between the two countries deepened. In December, President Hu Jintao exchanged congratulatory letters with President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed on the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries. In May, Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi met with Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Ali Ahmed Jama, who came to China to attend the 4th Ministerial Meeting of China-Arab Cooperation Forum

The two countries maintained close cooperation in international affairs. China supported the United Nations Security Council resolution to extend the mandate of the AU Mission in Somalia and participated in the International Contact Group meetings and all UN conferences on Somalia. It actively called for greater international attention to the Somali issue

China started to dispatch escort fleets to the Gulf of Aden and the Somali waters at the end of 2008. By the end of 2010, seven escort fleets have been dispatched to the concerned areas, successfully escorting 3,100 Chinese and foreign vessels on 278 voyages. Since the inception of the Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia at the beginning of 2009, China has actively participated in its group meetings and strengthened cooperation with Somalia's neighbors and other countries in fighting piracy