The meek Strategy on China of the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany

Taiwan is not even mentioned in the official release note of the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs! 

Is the German government kowtowing to China (like Janet Yellen recently)? It almost appears so! No mentioning e.g. that the people of Taiwan should determine for themselves when and how they reunite with China.

Here are some excerpts regarding Taiwan from the 64 pages strategy document (the word Taiwan occurs 13 times in the document):

1. "1.4. Our values and interests ... One-China policy: The One-China policy remains the basis for our actions. We only have diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China. Germany has close and good relations with Taiwan in many areas and wants to expand them. As part of the EU’s One-China policy, we support issue-specifc involvement on the part of democratic Taiwan in international organisations. The status quo of the Taiwan Strait may only be changed by peaceful means and mutual consent. Military escalation would also affect German and European interests ..."
2. "3.2 Parliamentary and civil-society contacts, as well as cultural and educational exchange, are core components of our bilateral relations with all countries and important for the breadth, depth and stability of these relations. ... The Federal Government is committed to improving the working conditions of political foundations. Their cooperation with Taiwan is in accordance with our One-China policy. ..."
3. "The Federal Government is not seeking to engage in any decoupling with China. We want to preserve our close economic ties with the country. ... The situation in the Taiwan Strait shows how vulnerable supply chains are, particularly as regards semiconductors. De-risking and diversification measures are explained in Chapters 4 and 5. ..."
4. "The Federal Government considers strengthening our resilience against hybrid threats in the spheres of politics, business, science and research and society to be a task for our entire government, as well as for society as a whole.  ... The number of Chinese disinformation campaigns is increasing all around the world, e.g. in connection with China’s policy on Hong Kong and Taiwan. Moreover, Chinese propaganda is amplifying Russia’s narratives regarding its illegal war of aggression against Ukraine. ..."
5. "5.2. Trade policy and diversification
   China is increasingly pursuing its political objectives through economic means – by creating and leveraging economic dependencies and by granting or withdrawing economic advantages. ... We also have economic and technological interests regarding Taiwan. Taiwan is important for Germany both as a location for German companies and as a trade partner. ..."
6. "5.6. United Nations ... As part of the One-China policy of the EU, Germany supports issue-specific engagement by Taiwan in international organisations. We also urge the UN Secretariat to include Taiwanese civil society in the activities of the UN and its specialised agencies. ..."
7. "5.7. Security policy ... Security in the Taiwan Strait is of crucial importance for peace and stability in the region and far beyond. Germany is working for de-escalation. The status quo in the Taiwan Strait may only be changed by peaceful means and mutual consent. Military escalation would also affect German and European interests. ..."
8. "6.2. Expertise on China ... Cooperation with Chinese institutions is indispensable for spreading expertise on China. This also applies to partners from Taiwan. ..."

"... Voller Bewunderung für die geopolitisch denkende Führung Chinas berichtet Sicherheitsberater Kissinger, wie Mao im Gespräch mit US-Präsident Nixon ohne Umschweife zum Kernpunkt vorstieß: „Das kleine Problem ist Taiwan, das große Problem ist die Welt.“ Mit seiner Zusicherung, keine Gewalt gegenüber Taiwan anzuwenden, und seiner Bemerkung „Wir können vorläufig mit ihnen (Taiwan) leben, und das kann noch hundert Jahre dauern“, war der Weg zur Aufnahme normaler Beziehungen mit der VR China frei. ..."

Kein Krieg um Taiwan In der jüngst vorgestellten China-Strategie der Bundesregierung wurde die bisher vorherrschende „Werte“-Rhetorik durch konstruktiven Realismus abgelöst. Für diesen Wandel dürften verschiedene Motive eine Rolle gespielt haben.

Deutschland gibt sich erstmals eine umfassende China-Strategie China hat sich verändert. Deshalb müssen auch wir unseren Umgang mit China verändern. Die Bundesregierung legt mit ihrer umfassenden China-Strategie einen Kompass für unser Handeln vor. Hier erfahren Sie, was drinsteht.

Strategy on China of the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany