Johann David Wadephul

Barely two months after taking office, Johann Wadephul faced his acid test when China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi came to Berlin. He had to defend Germany's hard line towards China while maintaining a pragmatic approach. At the meeting, Wadephul emphasized that they wanted to "find ways of cooperation" as the basis for German-Chinese relations. His previous trips to India, Japan and Indonesia show which Asian partners he wants to work with strategically. At the same time, he criticized Beijing's expansionist policy in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea, which provoked sharp reactions from China. Wadephul, born in Husum, studied law in Kiel and worked as a specialist lawyer for medical and social law. In May, he became the first CDU politician to head the Federal Foreign Office in almost 60 years.