Tianjin, 14 April 2023 (TDI): German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbook is visiting China after the recent visit of President Emmanuel Macron to the country.
Before the visit, the German Foreign Office highlighted the importance of the visit in a tweet by quoting a statement from the Foreign Minister.
The visit came against the backdrop of increased military activity by China around Taiwan.
A military escalation in the Taiwan Strait would be the worst-case scenario globally and affect the biggest industrial nations with Germany in particular, the Foreign Minister said.
She further highlighted the significance of the Taiwan Strait as an economic passage by saying that fifty percent of global trade and seventy percent of semiconductors pass through the strait.
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The statement is seen as a move to convey to China the concerns of Germany and Europe at large regarding the tensions in the Taiwan Strait.
In a recent visit to China President Macron said that Europe should avoid being caught in a crisis over Taiwan driven by “an American rhythm and Chinese overreaction”. Thus the trip by the German Foreign Minister is seen as a damage control move.
Although the French President later clarified that the French position regarding the Taiwan issue has not changed and that France and Europe support the status quo with respect to the issue.
Last year German Chancellor Olaf Scholz visited China to meet President Xi Jinping and discussed the Russia-Ukraine war. The Chancellor wanted China to use its leverage on Russia to end the war.
After Russia launched its so called “special military operation” in Ukraine, Germany has gone a major foreign policy shift termed as “Zeitenwende” meaning the turning point.
The policy shift envisions a greater role at the world stage for Germany and Europe as a whole and is themed on balancing between US and China.
