Hidden military budget + German delegation in Taiwan

The navy of the People’s Liberation Army is now larger than that of the United States. Particularly in the Indo-Pacific, China is continuously expanding its influence, even with high-tech weaponry that rivals US military technology. The USA, on the other hand, relies increasingly on military alliances in the region, especially with South Korea, Japan and Australia.

Tensions over Taiwan now make war between the two great powers more plausible than it was five years ago, says Felix Heiduk, Asia research group leader at the SWP in an interview with Gabriel Bub of Table.Media. The biggest risk in his view: In the Indo-Pacific, there are still no strategies and institutions for conflict resolution, “from arms control to the diplomatic level”. That means conflict management is still dependent on the personal relationships of the ruling elites, explains Heiduk. And depending on the political and economic climate, they cannot reliably keep the peace.

The current visit of the German liberal FDP delegation to Taiwan also holds escalation potential. At least, that is how the Chinese Embassy in Berlin sees it. It warned German politicians not to “play with fire” or, alternatively, to “pour oil on the fire”. Such fiery metaphors are, of course, purely routine.

The FDP parliamentary group wants its trip to be perceived as a “gesture of solidarity” with a focus on security policy, as our author David Demes reports from Taiwan. In the face of the Ukraine war, military aggression must be confronted with a firm stance. Nevertheless, the One-China policy is not to be called into question, explains party deputy Johannes Vogel.

In the spring, another high-ranking FDP party member, Federal Minister of Education Bettina Stark-Watzinger, plans to visit Taiwan. It would be the first visit to Taiwan by a member of the German government in 26 years. We will see what flaming sword of indignation Beijing will then brandish.

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Fabian Peltsch