MOGADISHU (SD) – The planned visit of China’s Foreign Minister, Wang Yi, who was expected to arrive today in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia, has been postponed. The trip, which was previously coordinated between the two governments, has been called off.

Several roads in Mogadishu were closed this morning in preparation for the Chinese delegation’s visit; however, it was later announced that the delegation requested a postponement for unspecified reasons.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who is on an African tour, met yesterday in Addis Ababa with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed to discuss regional issues and shared interests between the two sides.

Sources indicate that the postponement was requested for undisclosed reasons, and the visit will be rescheduled for a later time.

The Federal Government of Somalia has not yet officially commented on the reasons for postponing the visit, although security preparations, including the closure of roads in Mogadishu, were in place.

China is among the countries that have opposed external interference in the unity and territorial integrity of the Federal Republic of Somalia. As a permanent member of the Security Council, China has proposed that Somali affairs should not be subject to external interference.

Additionally, this would have been the highest-level visit from a permanent member state of the Security Council to Mogadishu since the revolutionary government era.

The last-minute postponement of a high-level visit by a permanent UN Security Council member is a significant diplomatic event. For Somalia, which was preparing to showcase high-level Chinese engagement, this is a public relations setback. It signals that, from China’s perspective, the timing or conditions for such a visit were not optimal, raising questions about Beijing’s immediate diplomatic calculus regarding the Horn.

The postponement of Wang Yi’s visit is a diplomatic tremor reflecting the disruptive impact of the Israel-Somaliland issue on the Horn’s established alignments. It reveals that even a global power like China finds the situation too fluid and risky for business-as-usual diplomacy.

This is not a withdrawal of Chinese support for Somalia’s unity, but a pause for strategic reassessment. The next steps will be closely watched: Will China use its influence behind the scenes to restrain Ethiopia and support Mogadishu, or will it maintain a cautious distance? The rescheduled date (or indefinite delay) of the visit will be the next critical signal. For now, Somalia’s diplomatic landscape has become even more complex and uncertain.