Taiwan calls on Germany to help maintain 'regional order'
January 10, 2023
Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen thanked Germany for its support following a meeting with a delegation of senior German lawmakers on Tuesday.
A high-ranking parliamentary delegation of Germany's neoliberal Free Democratic Party (FDP) led by defense committee chairperson Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann and party deputy chair Johannes Vogel landed in Taiwan for a four day visit on Monday.
A day before the delegation landed in Taipei, China conducted military combat drills in the sea and air space around Taiwan.
What did officials say?
President Tsai announced that Taiwan will be making military service mandatory from next year and called on Germany to help maintain "regional order."
"This will bolster our defense capabilities and demonstrate our determination to defend our homeland and safeguard democracy," she said.
"We look forward to Taiwan, Germany and other democratic partners jointly maintaining the regional order and prosperity," she added.
The German lawmakers have said that their visit is a gesture of "solidarity" with Taiwan. The FDP is a partner in Chancellor Olaf Scholz's coalition government between his Social Democrats, the Greens and the FDP.
"Germany would like to send China a message that military intimidation is not acceptable," said the FDP's Vogel, reported the Taipei Times.
Germany has no formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan, which has had an independent government since 1949, but is considered by China to be part of its territory.
However, Berlin is taking a look at its relationship with China and aiming to reduce its dependence on the Asian superpower.
Russia's war in Ukraine has been a major wakeup call for Germany and democracies around the world, said Strack-Zimmermann.
Highlighting Germany's dependence on Russia for natural resources before its invasion of Ukraine, Strack-Zimmermann warned that "it can only be to our disadvantage to make ourselves dependent economically on autocratic states."
China alludes to Germany's World War II past
China, which views the democratically-governed Taiwan as its own territory, has been carrying out regular military incursions into Taiwan's air and maritime space for the past three years.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has repeatedly expressed his anger towards Western politicians who have visited Taipei.
On Monday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry's spokesman Wang Wenbin expressed displeasure by alluding to Germany's World War Two past.
"We want to point out that the root cause of the Taiwan issue stems precisely from the law of the jungle, hegemony, colonialism and militarism that were once rampant in the world," he said.
He went on to add that China was deeply impacted by this. "Germany has a deep and tragic historical lesson in that," he said.
The German delegation is scheduled to visit the Hsinchu Science Park and the National Human Rights Museum before departing on Thursday.
The FDP's Strack-Zimmermann has made it clear that Taiwan and Germany are now friends.
"We look forward to Taiwan, Germany and other democratic partners jointly maintaining the regional order and prosperity," she said.
ns/rs (Reuters, dpa)