German MPs travel to Taiwan as China tensions rise

The visit is a ‘sign of solidarity’ with Taipei and lays the ground works for a full ministerial delegation later this year.

Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen visits a military base in Chiayi last week. Picture: AFP

China has invoked Germany’s “painful” history in slamming a Taiwan visit by a high-ranking parliamentary delegation from Berlin, in an apparent reference to the country’s wartime ­record.

The group of German politicians arrived in the self-ruled ­island on Monday ahead of a ministerial visit later this year, with one delegation member describing Beijing’s increased sabre-­rattling towards Taiwan as “unacceptable”.

China’s foreign ministry swiftly condemned the visit. “The root cause of the Taiwan problem is precisely that the law of the jungle, hegemonism, colonialism, militarism and nationalism were rampant in the world, and China suffered deeply from them,” foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told a briefing.

“Germany has (experienced) a profound and painful historical lesson in this regard. We urge these German politicians to earnestly abide by the One-China principle.”

The Chinese Communist Party ­regards democratic Taiwan as its own territory and has vowed to one day take the island.

The deputies on the Taiwan visit are from the pro-business Free Democratic Party (FDP), a junior partner in Germany’s ­coalition government.

The four-day visit is a “sign of solidarity” with the democracy, said Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, chair of the parliamentary defence committee and a leader of the delegation.

They are set to meet “senior figures from politics, civil society and the military” Ms Strack-Zimmermann said, and would also discuss the current “threat situation” in their meetings.

The first meetings on Monday were with fellow MPs in Taiwan. FDP MP Johannes Vogel described Taiwan’s situation as “very complex” and said Germany and Europe “support a One-China Policy”.

“But having said that … we support Taiwan when it comes to making it totally clear that military aggression and the threat of military aggression coming from Beijing is unacceptable,” he said.

“We want you to also see our visit here as a gesture of support.”

The trip is set to be followed by a visit from German Education Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger, also of the FDP, in the next few months.

It would be the first by a member of the German cabinet in 26 years. Before the trip, Mr Vogel said support for Taiwan was needed following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine because President Xi Jinping could also unleash a similar war.

“After (Russian President Vladimir) Putin comes Xi,” Mr Vogel said.

“We must take autocrats seriously and literally.”

AFP