Heiko Maas says the German government disagrees with threats of violence
Taiwan News
Date: 2019/01/20
By: Sophia Yang, Taiwan News, Staff Writer
Heiko Maas (By Associated Press)
TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Two weeks after Chinese leader Xi Jinping (習近平) threatened to wage war if the people of Taiwan opted to not reunite with China in a public speech, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said during an interpellation that the government disagrees with any threat to use force as a dispute resolution.
Maas said the government of Germany is opposed to any military menace as a means to resolve disputes, in his response to questions from member of the Bundestag and German-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Group Chairman Klaus-Peter Willsch at a parliamentary session on Jan. 16, according to a statement released by Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
In addition to asserting the government’s stance, Maas also urged all EU members to take the same stance against China.
Decisions must be made by consensus, instead of majority, in the Council of the European Union, which allows China to exercise its influence over certain member nations to block any decisions for the council to achieve consensus‑based solutions on the Taiwan issue. [FULL STORY]
