President William Lai (賴清德) today received a cross-party delegation of German lawmakers at the Presidential Office in Taipei, while delegation leader Till Steffen said exchanges between democratic nations should not be subject to third-party interference.
Both sides emphasized deepening cooperation in defense, disaster response and technology.
The delegation’s trip yesterday prompted Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Mao Ning (毛寧) to state in a press briefing that China firmly opposes official interactions of any form between “China’s Taiwan region” and countries with diplomatic ties to Beijing, China's state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
Photo courtesy of the Presidential Office
"We urge certain people from Germany to abide by the one China principle, and stop sending wrong messages to ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist forces,” she said.
In response, German-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Group chairman Till Steffen, who led the delegation, today said that exchanges between democratic nations are routine and should not be subject to third-party interference.
The German government and parliament’s stance on Taiwan has not changed, Steffen said.
If anything, diplomatic nations must deepen cooperation to jointly face the threat of authoritarian regimes, he added.
However, whenever there are exchanges with Taiwan, China often states its disapproval, he said, adding that yesterday was no exception.
As for Lai’s recent visit to Eswatini, Steffen said that it is standard practice to host exchanges between diplomatic allies.
Taiwan and Germany share many of the same challenges in global strategic positioning, industrial resilience, defense and civil defense, as well as many common interests and opportunities for mutual learning, he said, adding that he looks forward to future bilateral cooperation.
Amid a fast-changing geopolitical landscape, only cooperation between democratic partners can maintain international order, Lai said.
He said he hoped that Taiwan and Germany would continue to deepen cooperation in fields from information security and defense production to disaster prevention and response, and social resilience.
Lai thanked Taiwan and Germany’s international partners for their support and recognition.
The delegation’s trip is particularly meaningful as it marks the first visit by the 21st German Bundestag’s German-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Group, with lawmakers from across Germany and party lines, Lai said.
The five-member cross-partisan delegation includes group vice chairman Markus Reichel, as well as German lawmakers Mandy Eissing, Klaus-Peter Willsch and Rainer Kraft.
In September 2024, Germany sent warships through the Taiwan Strait for the first time in 22 years, which reaffirmed that the Strait remains in international waters, where freedom of navigation must be protected, Lai said.
The German-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Group has also repeatedly stated its support for Taiwan’s participation in international organizations, allowing Taiwan to work with its partners to make meaningful contributions to the world, he said.
The two nations have also deepened relations based on their democratic values, bilateral trade and cooperation in the field of science and technology, he added.
Moreover, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co is investing in a semiconductor facility in Dresden, Germany, Lai said, adding that it is an important milestone in Taiwan-Germany cooperation, further integrating the two countries into the global democratic supply chain.
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