A group of parliamentarians from Germany’s Free Democratic Party (FDP), including Bundestag defense committee chairperson Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, will arrive in Taiwan next Monday for a four-day visit.
The planned trip was confirmed on Thursday by parliamentarian and FDP chief whip Johannes Vogel, who said on social media that he would visit Taiwan with the delegation.
Strack-Zimmermann was also quoted by AFP as saying that the visit to Taiwan from Jan. 9-12 by the FDP lawmakers would serve as a show of “solidarity” with Taiwan at a time when Taipei is under increasing military pressure from Beijing.
According to German media reports, the delegation of 10 will also include Renata Alt, head of the Committee on Human Rights and Humanitarian Aid, and Ulrich Lechte, a spokesperson for the FDP parliamentary group.
The delegation will meet with Taiwan government officials, members of the military, opposition party leaders, and representatives of human rights organizations, reports said.
Joanne Ou (???), spokesperson for Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), confirmed on Friday the planned visit by the FDP delegation but said the group’s itinerary is still being arranged.
The FDP, which holds about one-eighth of the seats in the Bundestag and is a junior partner in the German coalition government led by Chancellor Olaf Scholz and the Social Democratic Party, is believed to take a tougher line on Beijing than the SDP.
In May 2021, the party removed the “one China” policy from its campaign platform ahead of September’s general elections, affirmed Taiwan’s democracy and freedom, and encouraged Germany and the European Union to expand their engagements with Taiwan.
In addition, Education Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger, who is also a FDP member, is reportedly planning a trip to Taiwan in the spring, which, if confirmed, would mark the first visit to Taiwan by a sitting German ministerial-level official in 26 years.
The last German minister to visit Taiwan was Economic Affairs Minister Günther Rexrodt in 1997.
Ou would not confirm Friday whether Stark-Watzinger will make the trip, saying MOFA would make an announcement should any such plan be finalized.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel