China protests German delegation visit to Taiwan
October 25, 2022
China on Tuesday decried a visit by a delegation of German lawmakers to Taiwan, while Taiwanese officials stressed that the exchanges with Germany would continue.
A delegation of German members of the Bundestag arrived in Taipei on Sunday for a visit set to last until Wednesday. The delegation is headed by Peter Heidt of the Free Democratic Party. It is the second German delegation visit to Taiwan this month.
The visit comes as China's Communist Party Congress voted in favor of an unprecedented addition to its constitution over the weekend. The party's constitution now stipulates that they should resolutely oppose Taiwan's independence.
This comes amid heightened tension between China and Taiwan, amid concern that the former might make use of Russia's invasion of Ukraine to similarly invade Taiwan.
China protests German delegation visit
Beijing's Foreign Ministry called on the German lawmakers to "immediately cease their interaction with the separatist pro-independence forces in Taiwan." Citing a ministry statement, German news agency DPA said the Chinese Foreign Ministry also urged against sending "wrong signals."
The Chinese ministry stressed that Taiwan "is an inalienable part of Chinese territory," blaming Taiwan for tensions in the region.
The Chinese protests however, fell on deaf ears in Taiwan. Hung-Lu Chang, who chairs the Taiwan-Germany Parliamentary Friendship Association, described them as "meaningless."
"Taiwan is a sovereign state. The parliamentary exchange with other countries is perfectly justified. They come to Taiwan because they're in favor of us," the dpa quoted him as saying.
What did the delegation do during its visit?
The delegation, which comprises members of the Bundestag's Human Rights Committee, met Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen on Monday. They expressed their concern regarding Taiwan's handling of China's threats.
Delegation head Peter Heidt stressed that Taiwan was facing military threats.
"From Germany's point of view, changes to the cross-strait status quo, if any, must be based on peaceful means. Also, these changes must be made after both sides have reached a consensus," the AP news agency quoted him as saying.
President Tsai dismissed the impact of China's threats on Taiwan during an international gathering of pro-democracy activists in Taipei on Tuesday.
She stressed that Taiwan will not be deterred by "aggressive threats," which she accused China of hurling in recent years. She listed military intimidation, cyber-attacks and economic coercion as examples.
Beijing's claim to power over Taiwan dates back to the founding history of the People's Republic of China.
After being defeated by the communists in the civil war, the national Chinese Kuomintang government fled to Taiwan with its troops, while Mao Zedong proclaimed the People's Republic in Beijing in 1949.
Taiwan, which today has 23 million inhabitants, has long been independently governed.
rmt/es (AP, dpa)