Returning from her trip to China, 42-year-old German Foreign Minister Annlena Baerbock said her time in China was “more than shocking,” saying she sees China as an adversary based on China not following the “rules based order.” Baerbock thinks that Germany needs to scale back its dependence on Chinese manufacturing, helping to defray the costs of goods and services in Germany. Baerbock heard the Chinese Communist Party [CCP] bottom line that Taiwan was part of Mainland China not subject to interpretation. Chinese officials asked Baerbock to support the peaceful reunification of Taiwan into Mainland China, something strongly condemned by Taipei and Washington. President Joe Biden, 80, said he would send U.S. troops to defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese takeover. When a U.S. president commits to using troops, that’s an ominous sign for world peace.
Baerbock expressed her concerns to the Bundestag [lower house] that China seems hell-bent on doing whatever its thinks it wants regardless of the rules based order. When the Hague’s International Court of Arbitration ruled against Beijing on building military installations in the South China Sea Aug. 18, 2016, China told the Hague to mind its own business. Beijing, like the U.S. and Russia, don’t subscribe to the Netherlands-based International Criminal Court or Court of Arbitration. Whatever U.S. objections to building out military installation in shallow sand bars in the Spratly Islands, China ignored them all, claiming it was all part of China’s sovereign territory. U.S. officials condemned China’s imperious moves to appropriate territory in international waters. Baerbock was blown away by China’s industrialization, but more importantly, it’s repressive practices.
Beijing wants Germany as its good trading partner to back its sovereignty over Taiwan, something that could result in a forceful takeover. ”Some of it was really more than shocking,” Baerbock told the Bundestag about her trip to China. Knowing she was already treading on thin ice, Baerbook wouldn’t elaborate further, other than saying she was “shocked” by what she saw. Seeing China become more internally repressive and externally aggressive, Baerbock hinted that she could not support a foreign policy that gave China a blank check to run roughshod in Indo-China. Despite all the billions in euros invested in Chinese manufacturing, Germany is a small player on the world stage compared to China. Baserbock could see the growing military and economic power leaving China unequalled on the planet when compared to Germany. Only French President Emmanuel Macron is not intimidated by China.
Macron just retuned from an official state visit to Beijing, given the royal treatment compared to European Counsel President Ursula von der Leyen. Macron is seen as more Russia and China-friendly, meaning he’s less confrontational about China’s sketchy human rights record. Macron returned from his visit apparently separated France and EU from following a more belligerent U.S. foreign policy. Baerbock clearly sees things more like the U.S. than France, concerned that China’s imperious attitude has little room for complying with U.S. and EU standards. When it comes to Taiwan, 69-year-old President Xi Jinping shows no reason to acquiesce to the West’s demands. Baerbock realized that the EU policy of “change through trade” has not produced any of the democratic reforms once thought by the West. Baerbock came away thinking Beijing is more emboldened than ever.
When it comes to working on peace in the world, Baerbook doesn’t take the Russia side, beliving Beijing should pressure Putin to pull his troops out of Ukraine. Realizing more than ever that China is joined at the hip with Russia, she realized that Germany must exercise caution when trading with China. To work toward world peace, Baserbok thinks that China should pressure Putin to end the Ukraine War but only on Kiev’s terms that it pulls all its troops from Ukraine. Baerbock knows the history that Russian forces have been in Donbas, Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, since 2008, if not before. Zelensky refused Putin’s overture to end the war by having Kiev recognize the independence of Donetsk and Luhansk and accept Russian sovereignty over Crimea. Ukraine’s 45-year-old President Volodymer Zelensky rejected Putin’s offer and went to war against the Russian Federation.
Baerbock seeks to implement the foreign policy of 64-year-old Gerrman Chancellor Olaf Scholz, deviating from his predecessor Angela Merkel. Merkel had an open trade policy with China, not concerned about Beijing’s human rights abuse or, more importantly, its tendency to ignore the rules based order. Baerbock asked China to apply pressure on Putin to end the Ukraine War on Kiev’s conditions. She thanked China for not supplying arms to Russia in its war with Ukraine. Unlike Merkel, Scholz wants to reduce Germany’s dependence on Chinese manufacturing, promoting Geman exports instead. China relies on Germany’s technology, especially some of its most advanced aeronautics and medical industrial equipment. Baerbock’s shocking revelations was that China isn’t about follow the West’s rules based order, instead doing what it thinks serves China’s national interests.
About the Author
John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He’s editor of OnlineColumnit.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and
Operation Charisma.
