China’s Long Arm in German Politics

On Sunday, it was announced that the Minister of Economic Affairs Wolfgang Clement cancelled his planned visit to Taiwan under pressure of the Chinese ambassador in BerlinOn Monday, the Society for Threatened Peoples (GfbV) accused the German government for allowing the People’s Republic of China to dictate its Asian politics. "It is embarrassing how Berlin shows so little backbone in the implementation of German interests towards China’s despots” criticizes Ulrich Delius, responsible for GfbV’s Asia Desk. "By cancelling its Minister for Economic Affairs’ visit to Taiwan, Berlin has for the third time kowtowed to China’s despots within only three months. It is scandalous that, out of pure power politics, a democratic state like Taiwan gets punished while a communist despot is being paid court to.”. "The decision of the Minister is alarming because it shows how the advancement of democracy and human rights is of small importance in Berlin’s Chinese politics” criticizes Delius. For the third time, Berlin has yielded to Peking’s pressure. In December 2004, the government yielded to similar pressures and ordered an observer from the Federal Bureau of Criminal Investigation to investigate untenable charges of terrorism against members of the persecuted Uigur minority living in Germany. Similarly, by supporting the lifting of the EU’s arms embargo against China, the Federal Chancellor completely ignored the catastrophic state of human rights in the People’s Republic and deceived the advancement of democracy and of the rule of law.

"The decision of the Minister for economic affairs is incomprehensible, as Taiwan is of significant importance to the German economy”, explains Delius. Taiwan is the third most important Asian trade partner to the EU on a yearly bilateral trade scale of 37 billion euros. Germany and the other EU member-states no longer maintain diplomatic relations with the island, even though the Europeans dispose of a "European Economic and Trade Office” in Taiwan.