TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Germany’s China policy must change as China's influence in the world has changed, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock told the Lowy Institute on Tuesday (Aug. 22).

There is increasing systemic rivalry in the world, “where autocratic regimes seek to bend the international order to increase their spheres of influence, using not only military might but also economic clout,” Baerbock said in a virtual address.

Quoting Australia's 2023 Defence Strategic Review, Baerbock said China’s military buildup is “the largest and most ambitious of any country since the end of the Second World War” and is “occurring without transparency or reassurance to the Indo-Pacific region of China’s strategic intent.”

Though China is a partner on issues such as climate change, trade, and investment, it is “more and more, a competitor and systemic rival,” the foreign minister said.

Baerbock said Germany and Australia share an interest in ensuring the Indo-Pacific is a region where “common rules are respected” and where countries are free to determine their own future.

Germany has been increasing its presence in the Indo-Pacific, partnering with Australia, Japan, South Korea, and New Zealand, Baerbock said. In 2022, a German Air Force contingent was sent to participate in Australia’s KAKADU and Pitch Black military exercises, she said.

The German Army and Air Force participated in this year’s Talisman Sabre, which wrapped up earlier this month, she added.

As Germany adjusts to changing dynamics in the Indo-Pacific, Baerbock stressed that the issue is not about fixating on China but “how we should deal with the challenges posed by China across the world.”