Bucking China pressure, Taiwan, Somaliland establish ties

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Taiwan has scored a rare diplomatic victory in establishing relations with the independent region of Somaliland. It broke away from Somalia in 1991 as the country collapsed into warlord-led conflict. Intense pressure from China has reduced self-governing Taiwan to just 15 diplomatic allies and exclusion from the United Nations and most other international organizations. China claims the island democracy as its own territory to be brought under its control by military