German politicians due in Taipei as West escalates China tensions

Germany will send a high-ranking parliamentary delegation to Taipei next week, a move highly likely to spark tensions with China.

The head of the German parliament's defense committee, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, said on Tuesday deputies from the pro-business Free Democratic Party (FDP), a junior partner in Germany's coalition government, planned the trip in a gesture of "solidarity" with the self-ruled island.

The trip is to reportedly be followed by a visit from German Education Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger in the spring. It would be the first by a member of the German cabinet in 26 years.

Strack-Zimmermann said the delegation would meet with representatives of the Taipei government and the opposition as well as human rights organizations, business leaders and members of the military during its stay from Monday to Thursday.

"Our trip to Taiwan at the start of the new year is meant to clearly show that we will never accept the plain law of the strongest becoming part of international politics again, including in the Indo-Pacific."

Chinese President Xi Jinping has already made it clear that he is “prepared to resolve the conflict over the role of Taiwan also with military means.”

In August 2022, the German air force boosted its presence in the Indo-Pacific with the deployment of 13 military aircraft, one year after it dispatched a frigate to the region.

Berlin's latest diplomatic overtures to Taipei are likely to rile the government in Beijing. China has reacted with growing anger to a flurry of visits by Western politicians to the island.

Amid recent tensions between Beijing and Washington over the latter’s political and military interference in Taipei, President Xi has said the "reunification" of Taiwan cannot be passed on to future generations.

MG