Germany’s high-ranking parliamentary delegation announced that they will be visiting Taiwan on Sunday, ahead of the ministerial visit scheduled later this year that can escalate tensions with China.
Free Democratic Party’s (FDP) Johannes Vogel shared a picture of him and his party colleague Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann travelling on “the plane to Taiwan”.
Head of the parliamentary defence committee Strack-Zimmermann said that their visit is a way of showing “solidarity” with Taiwan, which the Chinese government claims to be part of their territory.
As per the sources, the trip will be followed by German Education Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger’s visit to Taiwan.
This will be the first official visit of a German cabinet member in 26 years. The delegation is set to hold talks with the Taiwanese government’s representatives as well as the opposition party along with business leaders, military officials and human rights organisations during their visit, said Strack-Zimmermann said before the trip.
The diplomatic overtures of Berlin to Taiwan may escalate tensions with Beijing.
China’s President Xi Jinping has clearly stated that the “reunification” of Taiwan cannot be handed over to future generations.
WATCH| Here’s how Norway & Germany plan to wean off Germany’s reliance on Russian gas
Last year, tensions escalated as military pressure was ramped up by Beijing in the wake of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan in August.
China has always criticised any official exchanges with the leaders of Taiwan and has expressed its anger over the increasing visits of Western politicians to the country.
In August, the presence of the German air force was boosted in the Indo-Pacific with 13 military aircraft’s deployment, almost a year after a frigate was dispatched to the region in two decades.
(With inputs from agencies)