【German Foreign Minister Again Shouts: We Cannot Stand By in the Event of Conflict in the Taiwan Strait!】 German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock publicly stated on August 20 during her visit to Indonesia, "Any conflict or war in the Taiwan Strait will directly touch upon the interests of Europe and Germany, and Germany cannot stand by."

Baerbock's Asian trip seems to have taken a direct stance on the Taiwan issue. Before the visit, she issued a statement saying, "China's increasingly assertive posture in the Taiwan Strait, East China Sea, and South China Sea also affects us in Europe, which is threatening the basic principles of global cooperation."

On Monday (18th), during her visit to Japan, she held a joint press conference with Japanese Foreign Minister Yashima and criticized China (mainland) for its "increasingly aggressive and assertive actions in the Taiwan Strait, East China Sea, and South China Sea," and said that China was "increasingly asserting its regional hegemony and challenging the basic principles of international law."

Since Merkel stepped down, the policies of the two successive German governments toward China have become increasingly tough, and they have shown an unusual level of challenge on the Taiwan issue. The reasons for this are mainly as follows:

First, there has long been a strong force in Germany that is hostile to socialism. In recent years, many hardliners and conservatives have risen to power and entered the government;

Second, some people in the German authorities mistakenly equate the Taiwan issue with the Ukraine issue, transferring their fear and opposition toward Russia onto China;

Third, Taiwan has made large-scale investments in Germany, setting up a TSMC European factory, which has intensified the German government's "democratic supply chain" awareness.

Regarding Baerbock's comments on Taiwan, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson called it "stirring up contradictions and escalating tensions." She said, "The Taiwan issue is China's internal affair. To maintain peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, one must clearly uphold the One-China Principle and oppose 'Taiwan independence' separatist activities."

Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1841021206817799/

Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.