Mogadishu — Somalia's Defence Minister Ahmed Moallim Fiqi and Chinese Ambassador Wang Yu held talks in Mogadishu on Sunday focusing on defence cooperation, the campaign against Al-Shabaab and the future of the African Union Support and Stabilisation Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM).

The discussions centred on expanding bilateral security cooperation and strengthening the operational capacity of Somalia's armed forces, the defence ministry said.

Fiqi thanked China for its continued support for Somalia, particularly Beijing's backing for the country's sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity.

The meeting comes as the future of AUSSOM remains under discussion ahead of key decisions on the mission's mandate and funding.

At an extraordinary summit in Kampala last week, countries contributing troops to AUSSOM urged the U.N. Security Council to maintain logistical and operational support for the mission for an additional 18 to 24 months, warning that an early withdrawal could undermine security gains and delay the transfer of responsibilities to Somali forces.

China has been one of Somalia's longstanding diplomatic partners, supporting reconstruction, infrastructure projects and humanitarian assistance, while consistently backing Mogadishu's position on sovereignty and territorial integrity in international forums.