Diplomacy Thread

Taiwan opened its second mission in Africa today at a ceremony in Hargeisa, capital of the self-declared state of Somaliland. Although the new representative office is not quite the same as formal diplomatic recognition, it’s certainly close and marks the rare win for President Tsai Ing-wen who, until now, has had to contend with a shrinking diplomatic presence around the world, including in Africa.

Today, the tiny land-locked kingdom of eSwatini is the only country that maintains official diplomatic ties with Taiwan.

China, surprisingly, hasn’t said much at all about the Taiwan-Somaliland courtship. Honestly, it’s a bit perplexing, especially for the current administration in Beijing whose “Wolf Warriors” seem unafraid of going after anyone who challenges China’s core interests — and there’s really no other core interest more sensitive than Taiwan.

Other than an oddly upbeat visit by Chinese FOCAC Ambassador Zhou Yuxiao with President Muse Bihi Abdi earlier this month, the Chinese haven’t said much on the issue… which is very weird.

Normally, based on decades of precedent, any entity — be it an actual state, a self-declared one, or an international organization — that even flirts with the idea of engaging Taiwan gets a hammer brought down on them from Beijing. First comes the declarations that the offending entity is “hurting the feelings of the Chinese people” in its efforts to “divide China” and violate Beijing’s sacrosanct “One China Policy.” Then come recriminations followed by sanctions and yet more recriminations.

The whole thing can get very nasty, especially for small players like a tiny self-declared state on the tip of the Horn of Africa.

But for some odd reason that’s not happening… at least so far… and I can’t figure out why.

Maybe it’s because Somaliland isn’t actually an officially recognized state. I’d be surprised, though, if that was the case given how passionately the Chinese government has worked to isolate Taiwan at even the smallest international venues.

Maybe with everything else going on, from the escalating conflict with the U.S. to COVID-19, Beijing has enough on its plate full? No. That’s can’t be it. On core territorial issues in Hong Kong, Xinjiang, the South China Sea, and Taiwan, the plate’s never full enough to prevent them from taking decisive action – as we’ve seen over the past several months.

The only other reason that I can think of is that it’s just too early and President Xi Jinping wanted to see how this all played out while he’s buffing the giant hammer that he’ll bring down on the government in Hargeisa soon.

I admit that I really don’t understand what’s going on here and if anyone has any insights on the matter, I’d be grateful if you could share them with me.

Two North Korean nationals linked to the DPRK consulate in Vladivostok died following a car accident on Monday morning, NK News confirmed on Wednesday.

One of the deceased was the DPRK consul to Khabarovsk, who died after receiving initial treatment in a hospital, Interfax reported on Tuesday. The consul’s name was E.R. Pak, another Russian outlet said.

The car, a Range Rover SUV, overturned because the driver allegedly lost control.

It is unclear whether Russian authorities will be able to repatriate the bodies of the deceased to North Korea. The DPRK’s ongoing border closure has prevented North Korean workers in Russia from going home since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

“The relevant authorities could make an exception,” said Anthony Rinna, a specialist of Russia-DPRK affairs. “Given the grave circumstances, it makes sense for them to allow the body of the deceased to return home.”

An official at the North Korean Embassy in Moscow told NK News they didn’t have information about the road accident or reports that one of its diplomats died. Calls to the DPRK consulate in Vladivostok went unanswered. But an informed source confirmed the news to NK News later on Wednesday.

The official social media accounts of Russia’s foreign ministry publicized North Korea’s consulate in Vladivostok earlier in the week.

Russian foreign ministry representative Anna Ponomareva met with the head of the Khabarovsk Chancellery of the DPRK Consulate General Kim Jae Jong on Aug. 24, Russia’s foreign ministry said.

News of the deaths follows unconfirmed Radio Free Asia reports from July that the wife of the North Korean consul of Vladivostok died earlier in the month due to COVID-19.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. State Department is weighing whether to authorize departures for American diplomats and their families in China who wish to leave due to the U.S. government's inability to prevent Chinese authorities from subjecting them to intrusive pandemic control measures, sources told Reuters.

Two sources familiar with the issue said the U.S. Embassy on Monday had sent the request to Washington for formal sign off, as China ramps up COVID-19 containment protocols ahead of the opening of the Beijing Winter Olympics in less than two weeks.

The sources, speaking to Reuters on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue, added that some embassy staff are upset the U.S. government has been unwilling or unable to exempt American officials from strict quarantine measures.

The rules include possible forced admittance to COVID fever clinics and separation from children.

The State Department told Reuters in a statement on Tuesday the operating status at its embassy and consulates in China had not changed.

"Any change in operating status of this nature would be predicated solely on the health, safety, and security of our colleagues and their family members," a department spokesperson said.

China's foreign ministry did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

One person said the U.S. Embassy conducted an internal survey showing that as many as 25% of staff and family members would choose to leave China as soon as possible.

Home quarantine for diplomats should be a baseline requirement, and admission to Chinese fever clinics and hospitals should be voluntary, the person said, adding that the U.S. government should have imposed retaliatory measures for such requirements but failed to do so.

A second person said embassy leadership had failed to get appropriate assurances from China on the treatment of U.S. diplomats throughout the pandemic.

In the early months of the pandemic, the U.S. government evacuated some 1,300 U.S. diplomats and family members from China, and the two governments remained at an impasse for months over testing and quarantine procedures for officials.

China requires foreign diplomats to abide by pandemic control rules like quarantines and testing on arrival, although some foreign envoys have not had to enter government-designated quarantine hotels.

China has quickly stepped up measures to block the further spread of COVID as the Feb. 4 opening of the Beijing Winter Olympics approaches, though flare-ups of the virus have persisted throughout the city.

One Beijing district on Tuesday was set to begin a new round of tests among its roughly 2 million residents.

China's nationalist Global Times tabloid called the State Department's consideration of the policy a "dirty trick" intended to disrupt China's hosting of the Olympics.

The United States has led several allied and partner countries in a diplomatic boycott of the Games due to what it says is the Chinese government's ongoing genocide toward Uyghurs and other Muslim groups in its western region of Xinjiang.