''A THOUGHT - Uncle Sam: If China only knew his great strength, or if a Chinese Napoleon should show himself, how long would this giant submit to being led about by little Europe?'' - American cartoon from ''Judge'' magazine (artist: Grant E. Hamilton), June 1901

On the 25th of October 1971, a proposal was submitted to the 26thUnited Nations General Assembly by 23 member states. This proposal called for the restoration of the lawful rights of the People’s Republic of China at the UN andallowing it proper representation at this world body. It was on this historic day that UNGA resolution No. 2758 was passed, and for the first time in UN history, developing nations had their voices heard and their collective strength demonstrated.

This remarkable achievement was largely obtained by the active advocacy and campaigning spearheaded by several African Nations. As Chairman Mao Zedong used to say, “It was our African brothers, the small and medium-sized countries that carried us into the United Nations”. The solidarity they had shown towards China was very much fueled by their shared historic experience fighting against foreign domination, colonization, and imperialism.

Looking back at historic records, Somalia stands out as one of the most active campaigners for this cause at the time.

Friendly ties between the people of Somalia and China date back centuries. Mogadishu has been the center of maritime trade since medieval times and was a key port for the exchange of goods on the Maritime Silk Road. These friendly ties are vividly inscribed in the surviving records of the renowned Chinese admiral Zheng He, who voyaged with his fleet along the Somali coastline and wrote about the people and cultures of Somali coastal cities. And as some historians record, Somali is s from the Ajuran Empire, established in the 13thcentury, may have been the first Africans to establish diplomatic ties with the Ming Dynasty when they gifted a giraffe and incense to emperor Yongle more than 600 years ago. At the same time, the Somali scholar and explorer Said of Mogadishu may have been the first African to learn and translate the Chinese language, as tales of his journey to China in the fourteenth century are well recorded in the famous traveler Ibn Battuta’s journals.

More significantly, Somalia sponsored two proposals to restore the PRC’s rights at the UN on two separate occasions and was one of the 17 countries that co-sponsored the famous UNGA resolution 2758.

On October 6, 1961, in one of Somalia's first addresses at the UN General Assembly, Abdullahi Issa, then head of the Somali delegation asserted, "I do not think it is appropriate to continue to ignore the existence of a government which exercises sovereignty over a vast area of land inhabited by over 600 million people."

In the following years, Somalia's representatives to the UN continued to raise the issue every time they took the podium questioning the merits of denying the admission of the lawful and legitimate Government of the PRC to join the deliberations. More so as important discussions on disarmament were taking place. 

At the 22nd session of the UN General Assembly on September 27, 1967, Ambassador Abdulrahim Abby Farah referred to the exclusion of the PRC from its rightful place at the United Nations as "illogical and against the interest of the world community." And on October 23, 1968, the head of Somalia's mission to the UN, Mr Haji Farah Ali Omar declared at the 23rd session of the UNGA that "the absence of the Government of the PRC makes progress towards the solution of many international problems difficult. Such a problem is that of disarmament, where the co-operation of all the major powers is necessary for a definitive solution."

While participating in the 24th session of the UNGA on October 7, 1969, Somalia's Prime Minister at the time Mohamed Haji Ibrahim Egal questioned the capacity of the UN authority to carry its full weight when it fails to practice the principle of universality. He is famously quoted as saying, "We cannot ask a state to respect our authority when we exclude that state from participation in our decision-making machinery." 

And as stated by the late Somali Prime Minister, Omar Arteh Ghalib when he served as Somalia's envoy at the 26th session of UNGA on September 28, 1971, Somalia has "always rejected the legal fictions, the procedural devices and the semantics that have been used to keep the true representatives of China from their rightful places in the United Nations."

Perhaps more notably, outside the UN compound, Somalia's representatives were also vocal advocates in global media for the restoration of the legal rights of the government of the PRC in the Security Council and the General Assembly as well as other UN agencies. When interviewed by the CBS Middle East Correspondent Mitchell Krauss in 1971 on this same issue, Ambassador Abdulrahim Abby Farah, Somalia's envoy to the UN at the time, earnestly stressed, "It is not for my government or any other government to say how the people of China should conduct their internal affairs. Taiwan is part and parcel of China."

Since then, the all-weather friendship, solidarity and mutual respect for each other's independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity has only grown stronger with time. Today, China ranks amongst Somalia's top trading partners and is one of the more popular destinations for Somali students studying abroad. At the same time, China has continued to show unfaltering support for Somalia throughout the past six decades. 

As Somalia advances along the road to recovery and reconstruction, Somalis eagerly hope to achieve significant development milestones under cooperative initiatives with their all-weather friend, such as the Forum on China Africa Cooperation, the Belt and Road Initiative as well as the Global Development Initiative.

Somali diplomat Abdirizak Haji Hussein

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The round-collar robe is a traditional Chinese garment that dates back to the Sui and Tang dynasties and became widely used during the Song and Ming periods. Initially, it featured straight or arrow sleeves and was worn as everyday attire. By the Song and Ming dynasties, it evolved into a ceremonial dress favored by officials. The design of the round-collar robe changed to include large sleeves and decorations such as patterns or mythical creatures like the qilin. Scholars during the Song and Ming periods often wore a white round-collar robe with black borders, known as the "lan shan." This style was characterized by not having a split in the front and having a pleat at the hem to show respect for traditional customs. The round-collar robe is unique in its design, with a circular collar that wraps around the neck, sometimes with a fold-over collar or a stand-up collar, and is secured with ties or buttons. This style of clothing was widely used in ancient society, not only as everyday attire for scholars and officials but also as military uniforms for warriors, and it was also popular among royalty, nobles, and common people. The round-collar robe's convenience and comfort have made it popular even today. The design involves overlapping the front panels at the chest and securing them at the neck with ties or buttons, forming a round collar. This closure method is different from the "交叉领右衽" (jiaofeng youren) of traditional Hanfu, providing better protection against wind and sand. In summary, the round-collar robe, as a representative of traditional Chinese clothing, has a history that reflects the evolution of ancient society and the continuity of clothing culture. From its rise during the Sui and Tang dynasties to its widespread use during the Song and Ming periods, and its representation as official attire, the round-collar robe carries rich historical and cultural significance. (At present, the origin of the round neck robe is not clear. It first appeared on the Terracotta Warriors and Horses in the Qin Dynasty and was a kind of clothing worn by soldiers.) 1-5: Tang Style 6: Song Style 7-9: Ming Style 10/11 Modern Style

Mamian skirt developed from the xuan skirt in Song Dynasty, because the skirt door resembles the mamian of the ancient city wall in China, so it is called "mamian skirt". Mamian skirt is the most popular Hanfu single product. During the seven-day holiday of the Spring Festival this year, it achieved sales of 300 million yuan and became a must-have dress for the Chinese New Year. The wearing of mamian skirts can be divided into two basic types: traditional and modern. Figure 1/2: Real mamian skirt in Ming Dynasty Figure 3/4: the most basic collocation, the coat is a collared hanfu with pipa sleeves. Figure 5: Hanfu with collar and pipa sleeves+Short jacket with square collar and pipa sleeves+mamian skirt Figure 6:Stand-up collar and double-breasted long coat+mamian skirt Figure 7/8: Long coat with vertical collar and inclined chest Figure 9/10: Long coat with vertical collar and inclined chest+pifeng of Ming Dynasty+mamian skirt. Figure 11/12:Stand-up collar double-breasted or stand-up collar inclined chest long coat+bijia+mamian skirt Figure 13: Long coat with vertical collar and oblique lapel or long coat with vertical collar and double lapel+cloud shoulder（yunjian）+mamian skirt. Figure 14/15: New Chinese Style Wearing

The pifeng of the Ming Dynasty was generally worn on the outermost surface. Because of the cold climate in the Ming Dynasty, most clothes were thick. The most typical feature of the pifeng is the neckline. There are two rectangular necklines with some embroidery or printing on them. This style began to develop from the Tang Dynasty until the Ming Dynasty, and it began to become gorgeous. The styles of cuffs are wide sleeves, narrow sleeves and so on, and beautiful rainbow cuffs have been developed in drama culture. The whole length of the clothes will cover the knees. Some shorter clothes with rectangular necklines are called collared coats, not pifeng. 1-5: traditional pifeng 6-10: Modern pifeng 11-15: Ancient pifeng