Extremist-Linked Somali PM Hamza Barre Visits China Amid Expanding CCP Influence

by: Horn Observer Contributor | 24 August 2025 16:00

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Extremist-Linked Somali PM Hamza Barre Visits China Amid Expanding CCP Influence

MOGADISHU, Somalia (HORN OBSERVER) — The Muslim Brotherhood affiliated Somalia Prime Minister, Hamza Abdi Barre, flew to China on Sunday to attend the 7th China-Arab States Expo in Yinchuan, after Beijing's ambassador in Mogadishu, Wang Yu

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The PM's office claimed Hamza thanked Beijing for its "multifaceted support" in politics, security, economic development, and humanitarian assistance.

MOGADISHU, Somalia (HORN OBSERVER) — The Muslim Brotherhood affiliated Somalia Prime Minister, Hamza Abdi Barre, flew to China on Sunday to attend the 7th China-Arab States Expo in Yinchuan, after Beijing's ambassador in Mogadishu, Wang Yu, personally delivered the invitation a day earlier.

A statement from Barre's office on X (formerly Twitter) confirmed Hamza’s Saturday meeting with Wang, where the two discussed "strengthening the deep-rooted relations and cooperation” between Somalia and China.

The PM’s office claimed Hamza thanked Beijing for its "multifaceted support” in politics, security, economic development, and humanitarian assistance. Prime Minister Hamza who is a member of Somalia's Muslim brotherhood sect once called the Jewish, "Children of pigs and monkeys"

Ambassador Wang Yu, in turn, pledged that China would continue backing the Somali government, describing relations as "longstanding and cooperative.”

Diplomatic sources in Mogadishu told our reporter that Wang’s visit was about more than pleasantries.

He not only extended the Expo invitation but also pressed Mogadishu on Beijing’s growing concerns over "Somaliland’s ties with Taiwan" — a partnership China views as a direct threat to its influence in the Horn of Africa.

Since 2020, Somaliland and Taiwan have deepened cooperation, opening a Taipei representative office in Hargeisa, and signing agreements in maritime security and fisheries.

China has denounced the partnership as a violation of its sovereignty and vowed to counter it.

PHOTO: Chinese ambassador accompanied embassy officials meet Somali PM Hamza Barre and his Principal Secretary Kamal Gutale.

Mogadishu, meanwhile, has bristled at U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent remarks suggesting Washington was "looking into the Somaliland proposal” for recognition — an idea that infuriates Somalia’s federal government but could embolden Hargeisa.

Beijing has responded by supporting rival Somali factions, including the so-called "North East State” (formerly Khaatumo), and showing growing interest in Awdal region — both seen as potential pressure points against Somaliland’s autonomy bid.

Deepening Somalia-CCP Engagement

Hamza’s Beijing visit comes amid a wider push by China to entrench itself in Somalia through soft-power tactics and political influence.

The Prime Minister’s office said the Expo will focus on trade, investment, technology, and energy — areas where Somalia seeks Chinese capital and Beijing seeks leverage.

Last month, a delegation of Somali MPs and senior officials — handpicked from the offices of the president and prime minister — were flown to Beijing for a CCP-run seminar on "governance.”

Somalia’s ambassador to China, Hodan Osman, welcomed that delegation. Fluent in Mandarin and a former translator at the Chinese Embassy in Mogadishu, Hodan is widely seen as Beijing’s most trusted ally inside Somalia’s corridors of power.

Hodan's influence is amplified by her marriage to former Somali minister Jamal Mohamed Hassan, now reported to be in Laascaanood preparing a presidential bid for the newly rebranded North East State.

Analysts warn that Hodan’s political ties and access to sensitive Somali security and diplomatic files could give Beijing unparalleled insight into Western intelligence cooperation in the Horn of Africa — a strategic prize for China’s regional ambitions.