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Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang urges Germany to avoid ‘bloc confrontation’ amid warnings Taiwan conflict would be global ‘horror show’
- Qin meets German counterpart Annalena Baerbock, who says Europe ‘cannot be indifferent to tensions in the Taiwan Strait’
- German minister appeals to Beijing to help end Ukraine conflict, but asks why it has not called on Russia to stop its war on its neighbour
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Dewey Simin Singapore
Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang urged Germany to avoid confrontation on Friday as Beijing continued its diplomatic push to win over Europe.
“China and Germany have to cooperate and not confront [each other]. Neither a zero-sum consultation or bloc confrontation is necessary,” Qin said after talks with his German counterpart Annalena Baerbock, who warned a military escalation in the Taiwan Strait would be a “horror scenario for the whole world”.
Baerbock’s trip to China is being closely watched in Europe amid growing controversy over remarks made by French President Emmanuel Macron about Taiwan last week.
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In response to last week’s meeting between Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen and US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in California, the People’s Liberation Army staged a major drill around the island that included simulated precision strikes.
The drill heightened global concerns about a possible escalation in the Taiwan Strait, but Macron warned that Europe should avoid becoming an American “vassal” and not get dragged into a confrontation between China and the United States over the island.
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Following the meeting with Qin, Baerbock told reporters Germany was monitoring the tensions in the Taiwan Strait with great concern and had warned China against using force.
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