Military escalation in the Taiwan Strait would be worst-case scenario globally, German FM warns

Speaking during a visit to China, Baerbock struck a different tone to French President Emmanuel Macron, who warned the European Union last week not to get "caught up in crises that are not ours" with regard to Taiwan.

Macron's comments drew a backlash in the United States and Europe as they were widely perceived as taking a weak line on Taiwan and a gift to what analysts called Beijing's goal of dismantling transatlantic unity.

As a result, the stakes of Baerbock's inaugural China trip have risen, with many EU members hoping Germany will use this opportunity to set out a clear and united EU line on China.

"A military escalation in the Taiwan Strait, where, as I said, 50% of economic deliveries go through, that would be a worst-case scenario worldwide, but especially for us as one of the largest industrialised nations," Baerbock said during a stopover in the Chinese port of Tianjin, where she met with local officials and visited a German company and school.

"That is why we are working with other partners here in the region, but also with other partners worldwide, to reduce the tensions in this region, to prevent it from escalating further, because it is in our own economic interest," she underscored.

Tianjin was Baerbock's first stop on a China trip expected to focus on damage control in the wake of Macron's remarks, which suggested a rift in the EU's approach to the rising superpower.

"There is no other partner in the European Union with whom we consult as closely as we do with our friends from France. And the French President also emphasised once again yesterday that France's China policy mirrors Europe's China policy one-to-one," Baerbock told reporters.

But even without Macron's comments, the visit would have been delicate for Baerbock, who has been more hawkish on China than German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and is drafting a China policy aimed at reducing German dependence on trade with Beijing.

Baerbock during her statement called on China to use its influence on Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine. Only Putin could stop the war of aggression, she said. And China had the most influence on Russia, she added, "to stand up for peace in the world and help to ensure that the brutal Russian war of aggression is finally brought to a just end."

Baerbock is due to meet her counterpart Qin Gang and China's top diplomat Wang Yi during her two-day trip.

Reuters