For the first time since 1997, a German government official is coming to Taiwan, which is claimed by China. The Ministry of Education calls the trip a “professional visit”. It still has a signal effect.
Education Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger is the first German member of the government to visit Taiwan in more than two decades. The FDP politician began her multi-day trip to the democratically governed island state on Monday. Talks with the government, science and business are planned for Tuesday and Wednesday in the capital Taipei.
According to the federal government, it is the first German visit by a cabinet member since 1997. At that time, the late Economics Minister Günter Rexrodt (FDP) was in Taiwan.
Against the background of the tensions between China and Taiwan, the trip has a signal effect. Taiwan considers itself independent, for China the island belongs to the People’s Republic. Beijing rejects any form of official diplomatic contacts between Taiwan and other countries. The Ministry of Education emphasized in advance that it was a “professional visit”. The focus is on the exchange on increased cooperation in the areas of semiconductor research, green hydrogen and battery research. Stark-Watzinger himself spoke of an “exploration and research policy” trip.
“Don’t let China dictate the rules of the game”
The human rights policy spokesman for the FDP parliamentary group, Peter Heidt, defended the trip. “It goes without saying that every minister has the right to exchange ideas with other countries and regions,” he told the German Press Agency. Taiwan is an extremely important partner, especially when it comes to semiconductors. “For that reason alone we cannot and will not let China dictate the rules of the game.”
The FDP politician will be accompanied by the chairman of the education and research committee, Kai Gehring. The Green politician described closer cooperation with Taiwan in the areas of education, science, research and digitization as “very sensible”. “As part of the German one-China policy, it is important to continue the scientific, innovation and technology policy cooperation between Berlin and Taipei to the benefit of both sides and to explore its further deepening.”
Chinese embassy upset
The Chinese embassy in Berlin had previously expressed its anger at the trip and called on Germany to “abide by the one-China principle without compromise.” The one-China doctrine of the communist leadership in Beijing does not allow any country to have relations with both the People’s Republic and Taiwan.
Like most countries, Germany does not officially have diplomatic relations with Taiwan. Before the trip, the Foreign Office said there were close and good relations below the threshold of international recognition. Regular exchanges and mutual visits by ministers are “completely normal”. Taiwan is Germany’s fifth most important trading partner in Asia.
Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, there are growing concerns that China could take similar action against Taiwan. A war over Taiwan could have major repercussions – including on Germany. Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Moscow on Monday for a state visit. In the event of an attack on Taiwan, the United States would also be drawn into the conflict because it is committed to Taiwan’s ability to defend itself.
Taiwan’s ex-president Ma Ying-jeou plans to travel to China next week. Ma is a member of Taiwan’s opposition Kuomintang Party (KMT) and ruled the island republic until 2016. Under his leadership, Taiwan and China temporarily drew closer.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
