Germany has warned China against escalating tensions with Taiwan and has vowed to assist Taipei in case of a conflict with Beijing, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock announced on Tuesday during a UN Non-Proliferation Treaty conference in New York as reported by Der Spiegel.
“We do not accept when international law is broken and a larger neighbor attacks its smaller neighbor,” said Baerbock, adding that this principle applied to China as well.
Baerbock’s statement comes amid increased tensions between the US and China as US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is reportedly expected to visit Taiwan on Tuesday. Beijing has repeatedly warned that it would interpret such a move as an encroachment on its sovereignty and an affront to the One China policy which Washington officially recognizes.
Commenting on the possible visit by the speaker, China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi stated that some US politicians are “openly playing with fire” and blasted attempts by Washington to artificially create an incident in the Taiwan Strait.
If Pelosi “dares” to travel to Taiwan, “the [People’s Liberation Army] will not sit idly by” and will take “resolute and strong countermeasures” to protect China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian warned on Monday.