Germany’s foreign minister has described a military conflict in the Taiwan strait as a “horror scenario” that would directly affect her own country, striking a different tone to the French president, Emmanuel Macron, who recently faced criticism for saying Europe must not get involved in US disputes.
After meeting the Chinese foreign minister, Qin Gang, in Bejing, Annalena Baerbock said a confrontation between China and Taiwan would send “shock waves” around the world.
“A destabilisation would have consequences for all countries, the global economy and Germany, too,” said Baerbock, of the German Green party. “We are watching the growing tensions in the Taiwan strait with great concern.”
Her Chinese counterpart accused foreign governments of supporting separatists in the east Asian island, which Beijing considers a province of China. If countries want to respect the one-China principle, Qin said, then the proper move would be to resolutely oppose Taiwan’s independence.
Last week, Macron stoked anger and alarm in Europe and the US with remarks he made on his return from a three-day visit to China. “Do we [Europeans] have an interest in speeding up on the subject of Taiwan?”, the French president said. “No. The worst of things would be to think that we Europeans must be followers on this subject and adapt ourselves to an American rhythm and a Chinese overreaction.”
Travelling to Beijing on a pre-planned trip after Macron’s comments, Baerbock tried to calm the waters and clarify Europe’s stance on relations with China.
She and Qin both emphasised the importance of the trade ties between two of the world’s industrial powerhouses, with Baerbock saying an “uncoupling” of the two economies was not in her government’s interest.
Instead, the German foreign minister said her priority was a “de-risking” of the national economy to ensure that it was not over-reliant on a single country’s export, as Germany had been with Russian gas.
This meant that Germany’s trade partners had to subscribe not only to a level playing field, but also to shared ideals of human rights. “Where companies gain advantages at the cost of human rights, there is no fair competition,” Baerbock said.
She said her government had noted with concern that “human rights are increasingly being curtailed” in China.
Qin responded by saying that there were no uniform standards for human rights around the world, telling the assembled press that “the last thing China needs is to be lectured by the west”.
Baerbock also urged China to step up to exert its influence on Russia over Ukraine, saying Germany wanted “China to influence Russia to stop its aggression”.
While she welcomed China’s indication it was willing to broker a solution in the Ukraine war, she voiced reservations about Beijing’s starting point for peace talks. “I have to be honest and say I ask myself why China’s positioning doesn’t include the call on aggressor Russia to stop the war.”
Her Chinese counterpart said his country was not sending arms to the parties involved in the conflict and would not do so in the future.
The German foreign minister was originally due to make joint appearances in China with the European Commission’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, but his trip was cancelled after he contracted Covid-19.
In a speech published on Friday, Borrell said the EU’s position on Taiwan had not changed in that it remained committed to its “one-China policy”, which recognises Beijing as the sole legal government of China. But on Taiwan, “any attempt to change the status quo by force would be unacceptable”, he said.
