“A military escalation in the Taiwan Strait, through which 50% of world trade flows daily, would be a horror scenario for the whole world,” said Baerbock, who is in China on a three-day visit, her first trip since taking office in late 2021.
“Conflicts can only be resolved peacefully”she added. “A unilateral change, let alone a violent change, of the status quo would be unacceptable to us as Europeans.”
Baerbock’s tougher stance on Taiwan, the island Beijing claims as its own territory and has threatened to take by force, is different and tougher than Macron’s peaceful stance with the Chinese Communists.
He warned that the European Union should not be “caught up in crises that do not belong to Europeans”.
Some European politicians criticized Macron’s remarks, which came as tensions between the US and China escalated over Taiwan and at a time when Europe remains dependent on US support for Ukraine in its war with Russia.
Minister Baerbock’s aggressive tone was also picked up by the head of the EU’s foreign policy, Josep Borrell, who also tried to send a tougher message against China over Taiwan.
The EU’s position towards Taiwan has not changed, Borrell said in a speech released Friday. He had planned to give the speech in Beijing this week, but his trip was canceled after he contracted Covid-19.
The EU remained committed to “its policy of recognizing one China”, which recognizes Beijing as the sole legal government of China. But in Taiwan, “any attempt to change the status quo by force would be unacceptable”he said.
Qin Gang acknowledged the rise in tensions around Taiwan, but blamed the “the separatists of the island’s independence movement“, who received “help and support from foreign powers”.
“This is the basic root of the Taiwan Strait problem,” Qin Gang said.
Baerbock called on China to persuade Russia to end the war in Ukraine.
She adds that no other country has more influence on Russia than China.
“The decision on how to use this influence directly affects the core interests of Europe”she said, according to the Financial Times.
The German foreign minister also said that just as China has successfully worked to reconcile Saudi Arabia and Iran, the West hopes that Beijing could play a similar role to end the war in Ukraine, adding that China has a “special responsibility” to do so as a permanent member of the UN Security Council.
Baerbock also warned China against supplying arms to Russia.
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