The German Foreign Minister responds to Macron’s address: “Europeans are united against Beijing. ” The EU “cannot be indifferent” to the Chinese escalation around Taiwan, according to German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock on Thursday sharply distanced Berlin from French President Emmanuel Macron’s controversial remarks that cast doubt on whether Europe would help the US if Communist China invaded democratic Taiwan, writes Politico. Macron sparked fears about the transatlantic alliance at the weekend with comments that Europe should pursue an independent course on Taiwan, not acting as a “vassal” of the US and not getting involved in crises that are not its own. They. His words caused particular consternation among those who see the US as Europe’s key security ally—particularly as the main country arming Ukraine against Russia. Speaking during a visit to China, Baerbock said the EU “cannot be indifferent” to tensions in Taiwan while stressing that close partnerships with partners with shared values like the US would be essential “when we face our own security threats, such as Russia.

 “Today, we see how important it is to have partners around the world who share our values with us when we face our own security threats. That is why it is so important for us because, because we are vulnerable like Germany and like the European Union, we cannot be indifferent to the tensions in the Taiwan Strait,” Baerbock said in Tianjin, where he began a three-day trip to China. Underscoring the region’s importance to Europe, she also pointed out that 50% of world trade and 70% of global semiconductor production are transported through the region, and added, “Free access to the Taiwan Strait is also in our economic interest “. Macron’s comments sparked outrage not only from European countries dependent on US security guarantees but also from hardline US Republicans who have long questioned France’s commitment to transatlantic security. Former US President Donald Trump, for example, described Macron as kissing Xi Jinping’s ass. On Wednesday, Macron tried to back away from the feeling that Paris might abandon Taiwan but doubled down on his argument that Europe would not necessarily follow the US lead on regional security. For her part, Baerbock, a powerful figure in Germany’s Green Party, known for her tough rhetoric on China, avoided a direct clash with Paris. “If you share a common internal market, then you cannot have different positions vis-à-vis the EU’s biggest trading partner, China,” she said. “Without any partner, we coordinate as closely in the European Union as we do with our friends in France.” However, she went on to warn that some German companies have developed a risky dependence on China. Germany has “dependencies [on China] in some areas that are not healthy,” she said. “What is clear… is that the lessons we learn from Russia’s war of aggression must, of course, also be learned with China in mind.” China, on the other hand, warned Berlin not to “politicize” trade relations between the two countries amid reports that Germany may review the partial sale of the port of Hamburg to China’s state-owned tycoon Cosco. “We hope that Germany will not make normal trade cooperation politicized, ideological, and securitized and will not put up artificial barriers,” said Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin.

By Sara Colin