File image by Kleinschmidt /MSC via Wikimedia Commons
Beijing: Top Chinese diplomat Wang Yi, in a statement released by the Chinese foreign ministry on Saturday, said China "hopes and believes" that Germany will support its “peaceful reunification” with Taiwan, FOX news reported.
Wang, during a meeting with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock in China, said that China once supported the reunification of Germany.
“To maintain stability in the Taiwan Strait, it is necessary to firmly oppose separatist activities related to ‘Taiwan independence’,” Wang said.
"Taiwan’s 'return to China' was an essential part of the post-World War II international order," Wang added.
Baerbock on Friday said that any attempt from China to gain control of Taiwan would come with serious repercussions for Europe.
“A military escalation in the Taiwan Strait, through which … 50 per cent of world trade goes every day, would be a horror scenario for the entire world,” Baerbock said.
Baerbock said that any potential military escalation would have “inevitable repercussions” for interests in Europe, Fox News reported.
Her comments are seemingly at odds with what French President Emmanuel Macron said following a trip to China on Sunday, asking Europe to avoid following the “American rhythm” on Taiwan.
“We don’t want to get into a bloc versus bloc logic,” Macron said during an interview with Les Echo.
"Europe should not be caught up in a disordering of the world and crises that aren’t ours,” he added.
Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry, in a statement, said that it strongly approved of the German foreign minister’s statement, according to Fox News.
“The Foreign Ministry thanks many high-level officials in the executive departments of various countries, including Germany, for their solidarity with Taiwan,” the statement reads.