By Sven Hauberg
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It’s her toughest journey yet: Foreign Minister Baerbock finds clear words in Beijing – and has to be told by her counterpart that China doesn’t need a “teacher from the West”.
MUNICH/BEIJING – If you just look at the images produced by Emmanuel Macron and Annalena Baerbock’s recent trips to China, the president of France is clearly ahead. Late last week, Macron met head of state and party leader Xi Jinping in a picturesque park in southern China’s Guangzhou to discuss key issues in world politics without a draw over a cup of tea. “In spring, Guangzhou is full of flowers,” wrote Chinese state television of the carefully staged images. “The two heads of state strolled through the garden and stopped from time to time to admire the unique landscape.” It was a very special tribute that Xi Jinping bestowed on his guest from France.
Annalena Baerbock, on the other hand, could now be seen in a less impressive setting on her maiden visit to China. On Thursday, the Minister of Foreign Affairs toured the factory buildings of a German company that produces wind turbines in the metropolis of Tianjin, in eastern China, for the first time, and visited a school partner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. After all, the next morning, the green politician was personally picked up by his colleague Qin Gang in his hometown of Tianjin. The two then traveled together on the high-speed train at speeds of up to 350 kilometers per hour to neighboring Beijing, where the talks lasted for about two hours straight at the state-run Diaoyutai guest house.
For Baerbock, China is not an honest broker in Ukraine’s war
The Macron comparison suggests, after all, the Frenchman said things in China that led some in that country to stylize Baerbock’s visit as a damage-limitation mission. The Taiwan issue is not Europe’s problem, Macron said in an interview. In addition, the continent must keep not only a certain distance from China, but also from the US.
Admittedly, the comparison between Baerbock and Macron is also a bit unfair. After all, for a president of a state a different protocol applies than when “only” a foreign minister travels. However, it was to be expected that Baerbock would not be received as warmly in China as Macron, even outside of diplomatic conventions. She was therefore considered a difficult guest in advance.
Macron is different: the French president has repeatedly made very critical comments about China in recent years; For example, he was one of the first to demand that Europe minimize the risks arising from overdependence on the People’s Republic. Recently, however, Macron has repeatedly shown sympathy for China’s extremely timid offers of mediation in the Ukraine war. Baerbock, on the other hand, regularly made it clear that Beijing could not be an honest broker in his eyes.
China and Taiwan: that’s what the conflict is about
The Taiwan conflict has been simmering for decades. The People’s Republic of China is still provoking; one day Beijing might get serious and invade Taiwan. Because the Chinese government regards the democratically governed island as a “separatist province” and threatens violent “reunification”. The antecedents of the conflict go back to the beginning of the 20th century. © Taiwan Ministry of Defense/AFP
In 1911, the ancient Chinese empire collapsed. The last Puyi Emperor (pictured) is deposed, the Xinhai Revolution changes China forever. But the road to modernity is rocky. The years after the founding of the republic were marked by turmoil and internal conflicts. © Imago
In 1912, Sun Yat-sen (pictured) founded the Republic of China. Years of conflict followed. In 1921, activists in Shanghai founded the Communist Party, which became a staunch opponent of Sun’s nationalists (Guomindang). Under his successor Chiang Kai-shek, civil war broke out with the communists. Only when Japan invaded China in 1937 did the fighting come to a temporary end. © Imago
After the end of World War II and Japan’s surrender, civil war broke out again. In 1949, the communists emerged victorious from this. Mao Zedong proclaimed the People’s Republic of China in Beijing on October 1 (pictured). © Imago ImagesChiang Kai-shekThe losers of the civil war are the nationalists around General Chiang Kai-shek (pictured). They flee to the island of Taiwan in 1949. This was a Japanese colony from 1895 to 1945 and was returned to China after the Japanese defeat. Since then, the Republic of China, founded in 1912, has lived in Taiwan. For many years, Chiang dreamed of taking back the communist mainland – while ruling Taiwan with an iron fist like a dictator at home. © ImagoRichard Nixon and Zhou Enlai 1972After 1949 there are two Chinas: the People’s Republic of China, founded in 1949, and the Republic of China on Taiwan, founded in 1912. For years, the Taiwanese government was considered the legitimate representative of China. But in the 1970s, more and more countries turned their backs on Taiwan and officially recognized the Communist People’s Republic. In 1972, Taiwan also loses its seat in the United Nations and Beijing takes over. The US also broke with Taiwan and recognized the government in Beijing in 1979 – seven years after Richard Nixon’s legendary visit to Beijing (pictured). At the same time, they pledge to support Taiwan with arms deliveries. © Imago/UIGChiang Ching-Kuo in TaipeiIn 1975, Taiwanese dictator Chiang Kai-shek died. Three years later, his son Chiang Ching-kuo (pictured) became the new president. This opens Taiwan to the world and initiates democratic reforms. © imago stock&peopleChip made in TaiwanSince the 1980s, Taiwan has experienced an economic miracle: “Made in Taiwan” has become the epitome of cheap Far Eastern goods around the world. Over the years, the country has transformed itself from a producer of cheap products like plastic toys into a high-tech nation. Today, one of the most important semiconductor manufacturers in the world has in Taiwan – the company TSMC is a world leader in the market. © Torsten Becker/ImagoTsai IngwenTaiwan is now considered one of the most socially liberal and democratic countries in the world. In democracy rankings, the island with its almost 24 million inhabitants always appears at the top. In 2019, Taiwan was the only country in Asia to introduce marriage for everyone. The country has been ruled by President Tsai Ing-wen (pictured) of the Democratic Progressive Party since 2016. © Sam Yeh/AFPXi JinpingAlthough Taiwan has never been part of the People’s Republic of China, the head of state and party leader Xi Jinping (pictured) wants to incorporate the island by force. For decades, the communist leadership has threatened to use violence. Most countries in the world – including Germany and the US – see Taiwan as part of China – but stress that “reunification” must only be peaceful. However, it doesn’t seem like that at the moment. China’s communist dictatorship is not attractive to most Taiwanese. © Dale de la Rey/AFP Military exercise in Kaohsiung Whether and when China will get serious and invade Taiwan is completely open to question. There are analysts who expect an invasion in the next few years – around 2027, when the People’s Liberation Army will be founded 100 years ago. The year 2049, when the People’s Republic of China will be 100 years old, is also mentioned. How certain China is of winning a war is likely to be decisive. The army of the People’s Republic of Beijing outnumbers the armed forces of Taiwan. However, the Taiwanese are well prepared. Large military exercises take place every year; the population trains for emergencies and the US provides high-tech weapons. © Sam Yeh/AFPXi Jinping on a Chinese warship Analysts believe it is also possible that China initially does not call for an invasion of Taiwan, but instead tries to weaken the Taiwanese fighting spirit with targeted pinpricks. For example, Xi Jinping (pictured) could order a naval blockade to cut off the island of Taiwan from the rest of the world. A massive cyber attack is also considered possible. © Li Gang/Xinhua/ImagoProtest in Taiwan Even as the People’s Republic continues to focus on peaceful “reunification” with Taiwan, it doesn’t seem that way at the moment. Because most Taiwanese don’t feel like Chinese anymore, but like Taiwanese. It is a nightmare for them to become part of the communist people’s republic and have to sacrifice their democratic traditions and freedoms. Above all, the Chinese crackdown on the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong showed them what happens when the Communist Party takes away people’s freedoms. © Ritchie B. Tongo/EPA/dpa
Baerbock: “No other country has more influence in Russia than China”
“I must openly say that I wonder why the Chinese position has not yet included an appeal to the aggressor Russia to stop the war,” Baerbock said Friday in Beijing at a joint press conference with Qin Gang, and accused his counterpart of be strict looks. Xi Jinping’s visit to Moscow at the end of March “showed that no other country has more influence over Russia than China. The decision on how to use that influence directly affects Europe’s core interests.” China must therefore fulfill its responsibility as a permanent member of the UN Security Council. “One man can end the war tomorrow,” she said, referring to Putin. The chancellor sounded much more determined than Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who traveled to China in Nov. These confrontational words were not conveyed by Macron either.
Qin Gang, however, stoically reiterated China’s position that “the only viable way is through friendly negotiations”, pointing to Beijing’s extremely vague 12-point plan to resolve the conflict. After all, Baerbock managed to get a guarantee from the Chinese: “We are not supplying and will not supply any weapons to the warring parties at a later date”, explained Qin. Spicy: At about the same time, it was announced that China’s new defense minister, Li Shangfu, would be flying to Moscow on Sunday. Li is a US-sanctioned general.
On China, Baerbock highlights the importance of the Taiwan issue for Europe
As for Macron’s controversial statements, Baerbock went out of his way to emphasize Europe’s unity in dealing with China. Speaking to Qin Gang, however, she also stressed that China’s threats to Taiwan, which the People’s Republic regards as a breakaway province, are indeed a European problem. 70 percent of semiconductors produced worldwide come from the country, and half of world trade is also done across the Taiwan Strait. “A destabilization of the Taiwan Strait would therefore have dramatic consequences for all countries in the world”, including Germany, said Baerbock, who spoke of a “terror scenario” should war break out. Qin’s defiant comment: “We must not give up an inch of our territory” because: “Taiwan is China’s Taiwan.”
Also because of these words, the foreign minister was concerned about China’s ambitions to “become a world power” by 2049. The path that China will take, whether peacefully or not, “also depends on how much we can build on economic obligations to China as Europeans in the future”.
German Chancellor Annalena Baerbock in China.
© Soeren Stache/dpa
Human rights in China: Baerbock’s harsh criticism and Qin’s counterattack
But Baerbock hasn’t forgotten the economy either. She has repeatedly emphasized close economic ties with Germany’s most important trading partner – as if to disprove all those who see her as a policy that only cares about human rights and values and not about tangible economic interests. China accused them of unfairly treating German companies in China. On her way home, she sent a message not to become too dependent on the People’s Republic, keyword “risk minimization”: “After all, we pay more than dearly for our energy dependence on Russia. And as you know, you shouldn’t make mistakes twice,” Baerbock said. This was also intended as a warning to China.
However, Baerbock did not spare his counterpart on the issue of human rights. She addressed the plight of Uighurs in Xinjiang, who are subjected to arbitrary detention and forced labor there. It is seen “with concern” that “human rights are constantly being curtailed” in China, Baerbock said. Qin Gang’s reaction was not surprising: “What China needs least is a teacher from the West”, explained the diplomat to his guest from Germany. Little remained of the good humor that had reigned between the two on the morning train journey. Baerbock’s visit shows how difficult it is to get the right tone in China.
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