The Chinese foreign minister said what the Beijing nomenklatura always says on such occasions: they will not give up “territory,” they will prevent anything that amounts to recognizing the “separatists” in Taipei.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock was unimpressed and called on Beijing to de-escalate the situation in the Taiwan Strait. A war by the People’s Republic against the democratic island would be a shock to the whole world, said the Green politician during her visit.
Joy in Taiwan about Baerbock’s clear words
People in Taiwan were pleased with these clear words, as they are still recovering from other shock waves. In particular, by recent statements by French President Emmanuel Macron, Europe in general and France in particular should not be drawn into a conflict between China and the US over the future of the island.
While Macron allowed himself to be corrupted by the aura of power that undoubtedly surrounds him through the private tete-a-tete with Xi Jinping, Baerbock appears composed, sober and unimpressed by her Chinese counterpart’s testosterone-laden performance that one feels reminded of Angela Merkel . The chancellor has also allowed such gestures of masculinity to drip off.
Tawain is not a “breakaway province” of the People’s Republic of China
It is good that such a Merkel moment is returning to German foreign policy. At this press conference, it also becomes clear what Baerbock could mean by a feminist approach to value-based foreign policy. “I’m already wondering whether…” sounds in the green tradition of “I am not convinced…”, with which Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer questioned the reasons for the US invasion of Iraq.
History has proved Fischer right and history is already on Baerbock’s side, because China’s provocations against Taiwan are based solely on the basta-stubborn assertion that Taiwan is a “breakaway province” of the People’s Republic.
This is factually incorrect: Communist China has never ruled Taiwan. Nevertheless, a situation arose there that is unique in the world today.
Beijing misrepresents conflict
Taiwan’s status has not been fully clarified since the late 1970s. At that time, the USA set an example by recognizing the People’s Republic as the new Chinese state. At the same time, Taiwan received a statutory commitment from Washington to be equipped with weapons to defend itself against China.
Today Taiwan has a democratically elected government and the people enjoy all the freedoms that Xi Jinping denies the people of the People’s Republic. As Beijing portrays the conflict, it is not.
Foreign Minister Qin Gang’s statements are reminiscent of statements from Moscow with which the Kremlin justified the invasion of Ukraine. Baerbock warned Beijing not to do anything that would endanger world peace. She cleverly combined this with the threat that the People’s Republic would pay a high price for it.
Xi must regroup
This means that Xi has to reconsider his options: After Chancellor Scholz’s visit last November, Beijing thought it could control the Germans through economic commitments.
After Macron’s unsuccessful testimony, dictator Xi became convinced that he had now successfully driven a wedge between Europe and the United States. But Baerbock speaks just as clear words as the EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen before.
Meanwhile, Macron had to cut in behind the feminist, values-led phalanx, submit and retract his statement. Both women have rendered a great service to the free world and ultimately to the people of Taiwan. They can definitely see the fact that Beijing is fuming as a knighthood.
