A delegation of German MPs has sworn that they “stand by Taiwan” despite the fact that their left-wing Chancellor is allowing the sale of major infrastructure to Communist China.
Six Bundestag MPs from both inside and outside the leftist coalition ruling Germany have reaffirmed the country’s commitment to Taiwan, which is currently under threat from neighbouring Communist China.
However, such a commitment comes at a time when the country’s Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, has made overtures towards the Chinese Communist Party, allowing the sale of German infrastructure to the foreign power as he plans to visit Beijing next month.
According to a report by Der Spiegel, the MPs said that they were committed to the current status quo of Taiwanese independents being maintained, and that any change in relationship regarding it and its Communist neighbour could only come about through peaceful negotiation and decision-making.
“We stand by Taiwan’s side,” delegation head Peter Heidt of the ruling Free Democratic Party said. “[F]rom a German perspective, the status quo in the Taiwan Strait could only be changed peacefully and by mutual consent.”
While such a sentiment seems to reflect those held by many within the German parliament, the actions of the German Chancellor have somewhat undermined the pro-Taiwan message, with Olaf Scholz seemingly dead set on increasing ties with the Communist nation.
For example, Scholz has overridden major concerns surrounding the sale of a large stake in the Port of Hamburg to a Chinese state-owned company, Cosco, despite many warnings that such a sale endangers German, European and Western interests.
The sale of the 35 per cent stake in the infrastructure is being allowed by the premier despite six of his own government departments urging him to block it, with even Scholz’s own economics minister, Robert Habeck saying that the sale should be stopped.
Scholz has also announced that he will be visiting China with a delegation of business leaders in early November, a move that seems to be aimed at tightening business relations between the two nations.
An increase in trade between Germany and China would not be without risks though, with many feeling that the European country is already over-exposed when it comes to reliance on the Communist state.
China has already become Germany’s single greatest trading partner, with experts warning that, with cooling relations between east and west, a coming trade war could end up causing substantial damage to the German economy at a time when it is already particularly vulnerable.
Many are now comparing Germany’s business ties to China to its disastrous reliance on Russian energy exports, a policy that was partly the result of Germany’s green agenda aims.
The overreliance on the Kremlin has left the German economy in tatters, with increased tensions as a result of the Ukraine war seeing the supply of oil and gas the country is heavily reliant on dry up almost completely, with it now being feared that the country could run out of gas in particular by the end of February.
“It’s the same issue as Russia and gas,” opposition MP Jens Spahn said regarding the partial sale of the Port of Hamburg to the Chinese state-owned company.
“The point here is whether we make ourselves more dependent on a Chinese state-owned company,” he continued, saying that people should ask themselves why German companies are not allowed to invest in ports in Communist China.