On 31 March, H.E. Fei Shengchao, Chinese Ambassador to Somalia, hosted an iftar farewell reception in Mogadishu, which was attended by H.E. Hamza Abdi Barre, Prime Minister of Somalia, H.E. Sadia Yasin Samatar, First Deputy Speaker of Federal Parliament, H.E. Ali Mohamed Omar, Acting Foreign Minister, H.E. Ahmed Hassan Aden, Minister of Fisheries and Blue Economy, H.E. Daud Aweis Jama, Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism, and H.E. Catriona Laing, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Somalia and Head of UNSOM as well as nearly 100 guests from the government and all walks of life in Somalia and diplomatic missions.

In his remarks, Ambassador Fei recalled the achievements and inspiring moments of the development of China-Somalia relations over nearly 32 months since he assumed the duty, expressing his strong belief that China and Somalia would continue to work together to carry forward traditional friendship, deepen practical cooperation, and strengthen people-to-people and cultural exchanges to further enhance the historical relationship between the two countries. “China-Somalia friendship will grow from strength to strength” he emphasized. Ambassador Fei also extended his sincere gratitude to the Somali government and friends from all sectors for their strong support to him and the Chinese Embassy. He said that he would cherish the fond memory of the country and people of Somalia and would be a supporter of China-Somalia friendship.

On behalf of the Somali government, Prime Minister Barre spoke highly of Ambassador Fei's significant contribution to promoting the traditional friendship and deepening the practical cooperation between the two countries during his tenure, and expressed deep appreciation to China for its consistent support for Somalia.

Somali guests highly commended the remarkable contribution made by Ambassador Fei and the Chinese side to advancing the relations between the two countries and to peace and reconstruction of Somalia. They pledged to stay committed to the development of friendly cooperation in various fields between Somalia and China.