TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Deputy Foreign Minister Francois Wu (吳志中) said Taiwan is eager to strengthen ties with Germany during a meeting with German lawmaker Christoph Hoffmann on Tuesday (Oct. 29).
Wu met with the chair of the Bundestag Committee on Economic Cooperation and Development, to exchange views on strengthening democratic partnerships to counter authoritarian threats. They also talked about Taiwan-Germany economic development cooperation projects in other countries, per the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Wu emphasized that Germany is Taiwan's largest trade partner in Europe.
He said the expansionist actions of authoritarian states are severely impacting regional peace and pointed out that Germany and other European navy ships have recently sailed through the Taiwan Strait to uphold freedom of navigation. This reflects a shared commitment among like-minded nations to maintain peace and stability in the area, he said.
Hoffmann reiterated the importance of strengthening the resilience of democratic supply chains and praised the vitality of Taiwan's small- and medium-sized enterprises. He said that many developing countries have fallen into China’s debt trap.
Last month, Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) welcomed German Bundestag Foreign Affairs Committee members Michael Muller and Andreas Larem. Lin pledged to continue working with Taiwan’s democratic partners to combat authoritarianism. He also thanked them for voicing support for Taiwan in parliament.
On Sept. 13, German Minister of Defense Boris Pistorius confirmed that the frigate Baden-Wurttemberg and supply ship Frankfurt am Main passed through the Taiwan Strait en route from South Korea to Indonesia. This marked the first such transit in 22 years. The passage is in full compliance with international laws, and that Germany has the right to transit international waters, Pistorius said.