EIt is actually part of everyday business when the German-Taiwanese Parliamentary Group travels to Taiwan again. But this time the media echo was great. So big that the SPD member of parliament Katrin Budde said on Thursday in Taipei, half jokingly, “Now it will probably be clear even in the smallest province in Germany that there is a Taiwan, because thanks to our visit the last local newspaper reported about it “.
For a country like Taiwan, which China doesn’t want to exist at all, this kind of attention is indeed an important asset. Many Taiwanese have reported that in the past they were mistaken for Chinese or Thai when traveling because China managed to isolate Taiwan internationally. In this respect, the first visit by a German parliamentary group since 2019 was a good balancing act for the support that the country is now experiencing internationally.
The increased level of attention probably caused the six German MPs from all factions to be more cautious. Taiwan is a touchy subject that can easily make headlines unintentionally. At the press conference on Thursday, none of the MPs wanted to comment on the expectations their Taiwanese interlocutors had for Germany.
A journalist wanted to know whether Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Joseph Wu would be allowed to travel to Germany in the future after he had been received in other European countries, not by the Foreign Minister but by foundations. The Green MP Till Steffen said that he did not want to restrict the scope for the talks he would have with government representatives of his party after his return by making hasty promises. There is “movement” in various fields. This could also include status questions.
Military tensions in the region
The underlying question is whether Germany will continue to interpret its one-China policy more strictly than other EU countries. China would follow even small course corrections with eagle eyes. Meanwhile, FDP MP Frank Schäffler spoke out in favor of an investment or free trade agreement with Taiwan at EU level.
Parliamentary visits like this are an important part of Taiwan’s foreign policy because most countries in the world do not have official diplomatic ties with the country, and foreign ministers and government leaders do not travel there. The German MPs were also received by President Tsai Ing-wen. The trip comes at a time of heightened military tensions in the region.
In response, the government in Taipei intends to announce an extension of conscription before the end of the year, which has so far only lasted four months. That was “not enough because the threat from the enemy is now serious,” Defense Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng told parliament on Wednesday. In addition, the government announced that stockpiles of energy, food and other critical goods whose supplies would be threatened in the event of war would be checked monthly.
In the talks with the German MPs, however, the Taiwanese seem to have demonstrated more composure. This may also be due to the fact that they do not want to be reduced to the military, which has determined the image of Taiwan since the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine. Till Steffen named another reason: Like Germany, Taiwan is also concentrating on making its supply chains more resilient. “Just as we shouldn’t panic now, neither do the people in Taiwan.” You can learn something from Taiwan.
