diff --git a/packages/apidom-ns-asyncapi-2/src/index.ts b/packages/apidom-ns-asyncapi-2/src/index.ts
index f91e9bde66..a14705eebd 100644
--- a/packages/apidom-ns-asyncapi-2/src/index.ts
+++ b/packages/apidom-ns-asyncapi-2/src/index.ts
@@ -23,7 +23,6 @@ export {
   isAsyncApiVersionElement,
   isChannelBindingsElement,
   isChannelItemElement,
-  isChannelItemElementExternal,
   isChannelsElement,
   isComponentsElement,
   isContactElement,
@@ -34,7 +33,6 @@ export {
   isParameterElement,
   isParametersElement,
   isReferenceElement,
-  isReferenceElementExternal,
   isSchemaElement,
   isBooleanJsonSchemaElement,
   isSecurityRequirementElement,
diff --git a/packages/apidom-ns-asyncapi-2/src/predicates.ts b/packages/apidom-ns-asyncapi-2/src/predicates.ts
index a1a126f2de..05b1c187c9 100644
--- a/packages/apidom-ns-asyncapi-2/src/predicates.ts
+++ b/packages/apidom-ns-asyncapi-2/src/predicates.ts
@@ -1,10 +1,4 @@
-import {
-  BooleanElement,
-  createPredicate,
-  isBooleanElement,
-  isStringElement,
-  toValue,
-} from '@swagger-api/apidom-core';
+import { BooleanElement, createPredicate, isBooleanElement } from '@swagger-api/apidom-core';
 import type { ElementPredicate } from '@swagger-api/apidom-core';
 
 import AsyncApi2Element from './elements/AsyncApi2';
@@ -69,21 +63,6 @@ export const isChannelItemElement = createPredicate(
   },
 );
 
-export const isChannelItemElementExternal: ElementPredicate<ChannelItemElement> = (
-  element: unknown,
-): element is ChannelItemElement => {
-  if (!isChannelItemElement(element)) {
-    return false;
-  }
-  if (!isStringElement(element.$ref)) {
-    return false;
-  }
-
-  const value = toValue(element.$ref);
-
-  return typeof value === 'string' && value.length > 0 && !value.startsWith('#');
-};
-
 export const isChannelsElement = createPredicate(
   ({ hasBasicElementProps, isElementType, primitiveEq }) => {
     return (element: unknown): element is ChannelsElement =>
@@ -184,18 +163,6 @@ export const isReferenceElement = createPredicate(
   },
 );
 
-export const isReferenceElementExternal: ElementPredicate<ReferenceElement> = (
-  element: unknown,
-): element is ReferenceElement => {
-  if (!isReferenceElement(element)) {
-    return false;
-  }
-
-  const value = toValue(element.$ref);
-
-  return typeof value === 'string' && value.length > 0 && !value.startsWith('#');
-};
-
 export const isSchemaElement = createPredicate(
   ({ hasBasicElementProps, isElementType, primitiveEq }) => {
     return (element: unknown): element is SchemaElement =>
diff --git a/packages/apidom-reference/src/dereference/strategies/asyncapi-2/visitor.ts b/packages/apidom-reference/src/dereference/strategies/asyncapi-2/visitor.ts
index 2da53419fa..d8e1a83ba3 100644
--- a/packages/apidom-reference/src/dereference/strategies/asyncapi-2/visitor.ts
+++ b/packages/apidom-reference/src/dereference/strategies/asyncapi-2/visitor.ts
@@ -17,8 +17,6 @@ import { evaluate, uriToPointer } from '@swagger-api/apidom-json-pointer';
 import {
   ChannelItemElement,
   getNodeType,
-  isChannelItemElementExternal,
-  isReferenceElementExternal,
   isReferenceLikeElement,
   isBooleanJsonSchemaElement,
   keyMap,
@@ -126,16 +124,16 @@ const AsyncApi2DereferenceVisitor = stampit({
         return false;
       }
 
-      // ignore resolving external Reference Objects
-      if (!this.options.resolve.external && isReferenceElementExternal(referencingElement)) {
-        // skip traversing this schema but traverse all it's child schemas
-        return undefined;
-      }
-
       const reference = await this.toReference(toValue(referencingElement.$ref));
       const { uri: retrievalURI } = reference;
       const $refBaseURI = url.resolve(retrievalURI, toValue(referencingElement.$ref));
 
+      // ignore resolving external Reference Objects
+      if (!this.options.resolve.external && url.stripHash(this.reference.uri) !== retrievalURI) {
+        // skip traversing this reference element but traverse all it's child elements
+        return undefined;
+      }
+
       this.indirections.push(referencingElement);
 
       const jsonPointer = uriToPointer($refBaseURI);
@@ -266,15 +264,16 @@ const AsyncApi2DereferenceVisitor = stampit({
         return false;
       }
 
-      // ignore resolving external ChannelItem Elements
-      if (!this.options.resolve.external && isChannelItemElementExternal(referencingElement)) {
-        return undefined;
-      }
-
       const reference = await this.toReference(toValue(referencingElement.$ref));
       const retrievalURI = reference.uri;
       const $refBaseURI = url.resolve(retrievalURI, toValue(referencingElement.$ref));
 
+      // ignore resolving external Channel Item Objects
+      if (!this.options.resolve.external && url.stripHash(this.reference.uri) !== retrievalURI) {
+        // skip traversing this channel item but traverse all it's child elements
+        return undefined;
+      }
+
       this.indirections.push(referencingElement);
 
       const jsonPointer = uriToPointer($refBaseURI);
diff --git a/packages/apidom-reference/src/resolve/strategies/asyncapi-2/visitor.ts b/packages/apidom-reference/src/resolve/strategies/asyncapi-2/visitor.ts
index 0b22fbcd81..52b958f79b 100644
--- a/packages/apidom-reference/src/resolve/strategies/asyncapi-2/visitor.ts
+++ b/packages/apidom-reference/src/resolve/strategies/asyncapi-2/visitor.ts
@@ -12,8 +12,6 @@ import {
   keyMap,
   ReferenceElement,
   ChannelItemElement,
-  isReferenceElementExternal,
-  isChannelItemElementExternal,
 } from '@swagger-api/apidom-ns-asyncapi-2';
 
 import { Reference as IReference } from '../../../types';
@@ -82,14 +80,14 @@ const AsyncApi2ResolveVisitor = stampit({
     },
 
     ReferenceElement(referenceElement: ReferenceElement) {
-      // ignore resolving external Reference Objects
-      if (!this.options.resolve.external && isReferenceElementExternal(referenceElement)) {
-        return false;
-      }
-
       const uri = toValue(referenceElement.$ref);
       const baseURI = this.toBaseURI(uri);
 
+      // // ignore resolving external Reference Objects
+      if (!this.options.resolve.external && url.stripHash(this.reference.uri) !== baseURI) {
+        return false;
+      }
+
       if (!has(baseURI, this.crawlingMap)) {
         this.crawlingMap[baseURI] = this.toReference(uri);
       }
@@ -104,14 +102,14 @@ const AsyncApi2ResolveVisitor = stampit({
         return undefined;
       }
 
-      // ignore resolving external Reference Objects
-      if (!this.options.resolve.external && isChannelItemElementExternal(channelItemElement)) {
-        return undefined;
-      }
-
       const uri = toValue(channelItemElement.$ref);
       const baseURI = this.toBaseURI(uri);
 
+      // ignore resolving external Channel Item Objects
+      if (!this.options.resolve.external && url.stripHash(this.reference.uri) !== baseURI) {
+        return undefined;
+      }
+
       if (!has(baseURI, this.crawlingMap)) {
         this.crawlingMap[baseURI] = this.toReference(uri);
       }