According to Baerbock, a confrontation between China and Taiwan would send “shock waves” around the world, writes The Guardian. A destabilization would have consequences for all countries, for the world economy and also for Germany. We observe with great concern the growing tensions in the Taiwan Strait”. With his statements, Baerbock takes on a different tone than the French president, who visited China last week.
Macron has been strongly criticized for his statements on the tense atmosphere between China and Taiwan, which Beijing sees as a province of China. ‘Do we (Europe, ed) have an interest in speeding up Taiwan’s discourse? NO. The worst would be to think that we Europeans must be pioneers on this point and adapt to an American pace and a Chinese overreaction,” Macron said last week.
Don’t lecture
Baerbock also said he was concerned about human rights in China. They would be “ever more reduced”. But according to Qin, there are no uniform standards for human rights in the world. “The last thing China needs is to be taught lessons from the West.”
Baerbock also urged China to exert more influence over Russia to end the conflict with Ukraine. Previous attempts at mediation by China are welcomed by Germany, but Baerbock says he has reservations about Beijing’s starting point for peace talks. “To be honest, I wonder why China doesn’t ask Russia to stop the war.”