TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Germany's Federal Foreign Office on Wednesday (Sept. 2) announced a set of Indo-Pacific policy guidelines and said it will establish more partnerships in the region to avoid unilateral dependencies.
Following European pushback against Beijing's threat against the Czech Republic over its Taiwan visit, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas revealed the new policy guidelines in a statement, with the theme "Germany-Europe-Asia: Shaping the 21st century together." He said the Indo-Pacific region has gained in economic and political importance and would have a direct impact on Germany.
Without directly referencing China's aggressiveness toward other countries, Maas said the move will allow Berlin to make "an active contribution to shaping the international order in the Indo-Pacific." He emphasized that order in the region should be maintained by rules and international cooperation instead of "the law of the strong."
Maas expressed concerns over arms races in the region and said they had global repercussions. He said Berlin is interested in diversifying its partners in the region to enforce the rule of law, human rights, security, and exchanges in culture, education, and science.
Maas also noted that countries in the Indo-Pacific account for almost 40 percent of global GDP and the expansion of its partnerships will help it prevent being too dependent on certain markets. He said stability in the region is vital to Germany from an economic standpoint and that freedom of trade will determine its prosperity, reported Radio Taiwan International.