China officially reopened its embassy in Mogadishu, Somalia on Sunday after 23 years of hiatus due to the long-term unrest in the country.

China also appointed a new ambassador to Somalia on Sunday. Other nations also closed their embassies in Mogadishu after civil war erupted in 1991 and political unrest dragged on for more than two decades, according to Shanghai Daily.

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The two nations held a ceremony for the reopening of the Chinese embassy in the capital of Mogadishu, where Somali's President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud joined Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Ming in announcing the event.

China appointed Wei Hongtian as its new ambassador to Somalia. The fluent Somali-speaking ambassador expressed his delight with his new post, and recounted that he studied Somali in the country's national university in the 1980s.

Somalia's diplomatic ties with China can be traced all the way back in 1960, after the African nation broke off from Italy. Somalia was one of the African countries that pushed for China's seat in the United Nations, the report stated.

During the ceremony, Mohamud praised China's role in Somalia at the time it needed support the most, the Daily Times reported.

The Somali leader detailed how the Chinese government provided humanitarian aid for Somalia when the latter's central government crumbled in 1991. In an exclusive interview with Xinhua, he emphasized that their relations with China have never been severed, but said security issues previously hindered Chinese diplomats from carrying out their tasks in the country.

The reopening of the embassy will help improve the bilateral relations between Somalia and China, Zhang said.

Somalia has now improved its security situation, paving the way for foreign investment, according to Mohamud. He also assured Chinese firms and other foreign investors that now is the perfect time for them to invest in the countries various economic sectors because there are a lot of opportunities in the resource-rich country.

In addition, Mohamud said they will also prioritize those who will invest in Somalia now rather than later.

 "Those first comers are the real partners for us," Mohamud added.

TagsChinese embassy reopening, Mogadishu, China-Somalia, Zhang Ming, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud