TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The German Bundestag passed a resolution last week calling for a reevaluation of policy on Taiwan and deepening ties with the country.

In 2019, a German citizen named Michael Kreuzberg started a petition calling on his country to establish diplomatic relations with Taiwan. It reached the 50,000-signature threshold within five months.

During a session of Germany's new parliament on Dec. 9, its Petitions Committee passed a resolution with a large majority calling on the government to "intensify exchanges and increase cooperation between Germany and Taiwan," with only the Left Party opposing, according to a press release from the Bundestag.

However, the resolution stated that under Germany's "one China policy" established in 1972, "only the PR China is recognized as a sovereign state in China," and the "Republic of China (Taiwan) is claimed by the PRC as part of its national territory." Therefore, based on federal government policy, the committee ruled out establishing diplomatic relations with Taiwan.

Nonetheless, the resolution stated that the German government is in favor of intensified political, economic, and social exchanges with Taiwan, so long as they are "below the threshold of diplomatic relations." The resolution emphasized that it is also in the interests of Germany and Europe to further expand and intensify cooperation with Taiwan.

The consensus of the majority of the MEPs on the committee was that reassessing the German government's policy on Taiwan is "advisable considering the dynamically changing environment in international politics." The resolution stated that this reassessment should not only include the question of the recognition of Taiwan as a sovereign state alongside China, "but also the numerous possibilities of further intensifying exchanges and even stronger cooperation between Germany and the EU with Taiwan."