Overview

• During a visit to Tokyo, Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul labeled China “increasingly aggressive” in the Taiwan Strait as well as the East and South China Seas.
• Wadephul accused Beijing of enabling Russia’s war on Ukraine, citing that about 80% of dual-use goods used by Russia come from China and that China is the top buyer of Russian oil and gas.
• Germany and Japan held their first “strategic dialogue” and agreed to strengthen cooperation on Indo-Pacific security and to work toward a “just and lasting” peace in Ukraine.
• The German minister stressed defending an international order grounded in law, warning that any escalation in key Asian sea lanes would carry serious global security and economic costs.
• China rejected the criticism, reiterating its one-China position, describing the regional seas as generally stable, and urging others not to stoke confrontation, as tensions also featured a U.S. destroyer transit near Scarborough Shoal.