Bilateral Political Relations

China and Somalia established diplomatic relations on December 14, 1960. In September 2024, the bilateral relationship was elevated to Strategic Partnership.  

China and Somalia maintain close high-level exchanges. In December 2022, President Xi Jinping met with President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud in Riyadh during the first China-Arab Summit. In September 2024, President Xi Jinping met with president Hassan Sheikh Mohamud attending the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation.  

Bilateral Economic and Trade Relations and Economic-Technical Cooperation

Since the establishment of diplomatic relations, economic and trade ties as well as economic-technical cooperation between China and Somalia have progressed smoothly. China has been providing aid to Somalia since 1963, realizing projects including National Theatre of Somalia, Hargeisa Water Supply Project, cigarette factory, match factory, Benadir Maternity and Children's Hospital, Mogadishu Stadium, Belet Weyne-Bulo Burto Road and Baloweyn Farm among others. China has also provided multiple batches of food aid to Somalia. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the two countries actively engaged in anti-pandemic cooperation, and China provided medical supplies to Somalia. In September 2024, China and Somalia jointly launched “ the Initiative on helping Africa in Demining " in Somalia.  

Bilateral trade in 2024 reached 972 million USD. China mainly exports agricultural products, electro-mechanical products, and textiles, while importing frozen fish, sesame, and other goods.  

Exchanges and Cooperation in Culture, Education, Health and Other Fields 

In 1978, China and Somalia signed a cultural and educational cooperation agreement, under which China began offering scholarships to Somali students. A cultural agreement was concluded between the two countries in 1983. From 1965 to 1991, China dispatched 13 medical teams comprising 400 personnel to Somalia.