Germany deepens Taiwan ties amid China tensions

Published 7 June 2026 · politics

A German delegation, known as the Berlin-Taipei Parliamentary Friendship Group, recently visited Taiwan, drawing criticism from Beijing. Two lawmakers told DW the visit was important

A German delegation, known as the Berlin-Taipei Parliamentary Friendship Group, recently visited Taiwan, drawing criticism from Beijing. Two lawmakers told DW the visit was important for expanding economic partnerships. While German Economic Affairs Minister Katherina Reiche is visiting Beijing, a delegation from the Bundestag, Germany's lower house of parliament is in Taiwan. The Berlin-Taipei Parliamentary Friendship Group, a cross-party association of MPs that promotes international exchange, has traveled there to "strengthen economic and cultural cooperation with one of the region's most important democratic partners," the Bundestag said in a statement. Till Steffen of the Green Party is leading the five-member delegation, which also includes lawmakers Klaus-Peter Willsch and Markus Reichel from Chancellor Friedrich Merz's conservative Christian Democrats (CDU), as well as Rainer Kraft from the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) and Mandy Eissing from the Left Party. The group of German lawmakers visiting Taiwan is led by Till Steffen of the Green Party Image: Präsidialamt Taiwan The nine-day trip has sparked criticism from Beijing. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said China has always opposed any form of official exchanges between its diplomatic partners and Taiwan. Beijing sees self-ruled Taiwan as a breakaway province that one day will be "reunited" with the mainland. German MP shrugs off criticism from Beijing "It is in Germany's interest to have a balanced situation and not to depend solely on China," said delegation leader Steffen.

Economic dependence on China — for example in batteries for electric cars — has put Germany in a difficult position, he added. "It is fine to do business with Beijing, but we should not become dependent on China," Steffen said. "That is why it is necessary to maintain close relations with other countries at the same time. It is therefore a good thing that we are carrying out a joint research project with Taiwan on the batteries of the future." The AfD's Kraft points out that before German reunification in 1990, China maintained diplomatic relations with both the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) and the German Democratic Republic (GDR) at the same time. Although Germany does not maintain official diplomatic relations with Taiwan, it has economic, cultural and research ties with the island. The AfD's Kraft notes that investors from Taiwan are creating new, high-quality jobs in Germany Image: DW Kraft also emphasized the economic dimension. "It is very important for Germany to be a partner to Taiwan," he told DW. "Taiwan is a global leader in the semiconductor sector. Semiconductors are essential for the economy of the future — for artificial intelligence and data centers. Given our economic challenges, Germany must not miss the opportunity to remain economically strong in the future." Economically interconnected Taiwanese semiconductor giant TSMC has been building a new factory in the eastern German state of Saxony since 2024.