“Loud” reaction from China expected: German minister plans first visit to Taiwan in 26 years
Created: 12/13/2022 12:29 p.m
By: Sven Hauberg
For the first time since 1997, a German minister could soon visit Taiwan.
The government in China is likely to react angrily.
Munich/Berlin/Taipei – It would be the first visit by a German minister in more than a quarter of a century: As reported by the
Tagesspiegel
, Federal Education and Research Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger (FDP) wants to travel to Taiwan next spring.
That said the member of the Bundestag Peter Heidt (also FDP) on Monday evening at a panel discussion in Berlin.
"This trip is very important because we want to develop relations with Taiwan," Heidt told the
Tagesspiegel
.
"The education, but also the research and digital areas are crucial." When asked, Stark-Watzinger's press spokesman did not want to confirm the minister's plans.
FDP Economics Minister Günter Rexrodt last visited Taiwan, which was claimed by China, in 1997.
China always reacts with irritation to Taiwan visits by foreign politicians.
Most recently, the trip to Taiwan by Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the US House of Representatives, caused a serious crisis between Beijing, Washington and Taipei.
German members of the Bundestag have nevertheless visited Taiwan several times in recent weeks and months. For example, the FDP politician Heidt flew to Taipei in October with five other members of the Human Rights Committee of the Bundestag for a visit lasting several days.
At the time, Beijing's foreign ministry called on politicians to "immediately end their interaction with Taiwan's separatist pro-independence forces."
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Planned visit to Taiwan: Green politicians expect "vociferous" reaction from China
Green MEP Reinhard Bütikofer expects a "vocal" reaction from Beijing if Stark-Watzinger actually flies to Taiwan.
"But Berlin shouldn't be impressed by that," said Bütikofer to the
Munich newspaper
IPPEN.MEDIA
.
The minister's visit "can promote a very meaningful intensification of cooperation with Taiwan in science and research policy," Bütikofer continued.
According to FDP man Heidt, Stark-Watzinger in Taiwan also wants to look for a way to work more closely with the country in the field of education in order to create an alternative to the Confucius Institutes that the People's Republic also operates in Germany.
The educational institutions, which are indirectly subordinate to the Communist Party, were often criticized for their cooperation with German universities.
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Heidt told the
Tagesspiegel
that there was "no real dissent" in the traffic light coalition about Stark-Watzinger's plans.
The federal government is currently working on a joint China strategy;
A draft for the paper from the Foreign Ministry by Annalena Baerbock had recently become known.
The federal government does not officially recognize Taiwan and only maintains diplomatic relations with the People's Republic.
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Recently, however, there have been increased contacts with the Taiwanese government.
In November, Stark-Watzinger received her Taiwanese counterpart Wu Tsung-Tsong in Berlin, and the Parliamentary State Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Economics, Franziska Brantner (Greens), also traveled to Taiwan.
"Visits to or from Taiwan should take place when they make sense in order to implement the goals of our Taiwan policy set out in the coalition agreement," demands Green politician Bütikofer, who is also chairman of the delegation for relations with the People's Republic of China in the EU -Parliament is.
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Federal Education and Research Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger (FDP) wants to visit Taiwan.
© Carsten Koall/dpa
China regards the democratically governed Taiwan as a breakaway province, even though the island nation was never part of the People's Republic.
The government in Beijing has been calling for "reunification" with Taiwan for years.
China's head of state and government, Xi Jinping, made it clear at the party conference in October that China is striving for a peaceful solution to the Taiwan question, "but will never promise to refrain from using force".
Most recently, employees of Robert Habeck's Ministry of Economic Affairs expressed fears that a Chinese invasion could take place by 2027 at the latest - on the 100th anniversary of the founding of China's People's Liberation Army.
