German Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer has said that the Indo-Pacific region is vital to the well-being of the world. In an interview with Australian media, she noted that Germany needs to make its position clear in the Indo-Pacific region.
Karrenbauer will join Australian Defense Minister Linda Reynolds on Thursday (Nov. 5) to speak at an event co-hosted by the German Adenauer Foundation and the Australian Strategic Policy Institute.
In an interview, she said that the German naval presence in the Indo-Pacific will help maintain a rules-based international order. The area extends from the Indian Ocean to the Coral Sea and includes India, China, Japan and Australia.
The German government launched the Indo-Pacific policy guidelines on Sept. 2, setting the goal of establishing and strengthening strategic relations with countries in the Indo-Pacific region, including ASEAN. A German frigate will be deployed to the Indian Ocean for patrol duties under the plan, the Sydney Morning Herald reported Nov. 2.
In the past year, Europe has become increasingly aware of China’s economic plans and geopolitical strategy, Kallenbauer said.
Some analysts believe that the Indo-Pacific guidelines launched by Germany in early September, on the one hand, demonstrate Germany’s determination to broaden partnerships and become more involved in shaping the future international order, on the other hand, it also implies an adjustment of German policy toward China: less dependence on China and pressure on China by building multipolarity.
Thomas Fitschen, Germany’s ambassador to Australia, was quoted in the Sydney Morning Herald in mid-October as saying that Germany will push the EU to launch an Indo-Pacific strategy by 2022 and “strengthen” its bilateral relationship with Australia. Fitschen called this bilateral relationship a “special relationship.
As Germany adjusts its relations with China, it still wants to maintain economic ties with China. In an interview, Kahlenbauer said that strong economic ties with China are in the interest of both sides.
Germany has been China’s largest trading partner in Europe for many years. According to Chinese official statistics, bilateral trade volume in 2019 was $184.88 billion, up 0.6 percent year-on-year, of which Chinese exports to Germany were $79.75 billion, up 2.9 percent year-on-year, while imports were $105.11 billion, down 1.1 percent year-on-year. Germany had a trade surplus of $25.36 billion with China. For the third year in a row, China was Germany’s largest trading partner in the world.
Still, Kahlenbauer said, Germany “will not turn a blind eye to unequal investment conditions, widespread violations of intellectual property rights, state subsidies that distort competition or attempts to exert influence through loans and investments.”
Kahlenbauer is the secretary general of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union, and was once considered the favorite to succeed Merkel. However, she announced in February that she would not run for chancellor in the expected 2021 elections and would relinquish the party’s leadership.
Kahlenbauer is the first German minister to publicly confirm that restrictions on Chinese telecom giant Huawei effectively exclude the company from Germany’s 5G network. Australia, which banned Huawei’s 5G network in 2018 due to national security concerns, is believed to be the first Western country to exclude Huawei equipment from a 5G network.
Kallenbauer confirmed that Germany is working within NATO to expand its relations with like-minded countries such as Australia in the Indo-Pacific region. NATO currently has 30 member countries, mainly from North America and Europe, with the exception of Turkey.
Australia’s relations with China have been at a low ebb for the past two years over its ban on Huawei’s participation in the construction of its 5G network and its demand for an independent international investigation into China’s responsibility for the new coronavirus outbreak. China has retaliated against Australia on a number of trade and non-trade fronts.
China has imposed an 80.5% tariff on Australian barley, suspended some Australian beef imports, and launched an anti-dumping investigation into Australian wine.
China’s customs clearance last week of several tons of live lobster exported from Australia to China was seen as the latest focus of trade tensions between the two countries. China’s reasoning was to check for metals in live lobsters.
Australia’s Trade Minister Birmingham said the extra scrutiny of 50 to 100 percent of Australian rock lobster exports has raised concerns among exporters that the lobsters could die. He said Australia was seeking an explanation from China and warned that China could be in breach of international trade law if it discriminated against Australian products.
In 2018-2019, 94 percent of Australia’s lobster exports will go to China.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said on Nov. 2 that China’s customs enforce inspection and quarantine of imported seafood at import ports in accordance with the law, and release them after they pass the inspection and quarantine, which is not only to enforce relevant national laws and regulations, but also to ensure the safety of Chinese consumers. Wang Wenbin expressed the hope that the Australian side would do more in favor of China-Australia mutual trust and cooperation and in line with the spirit of the China-Australia comprehensive strategic partnership, so as to push China-Australia relations back on track as soon as possible.
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