German foreign minister calls for ‘de-risking’ relations with China

BERLIN

European countries must “reduce one-sided dependencies” on China due to security concerns, Germany’s foreign minister said on Wednesday.

Speaking to reporters in Brussels ahead of a meeting of NATO foreign ministers, Annalena Baerbock said security in the Indo-Pacific region will be among the topics to be discussed today.

“As European partners, we have already made it clear that we should de-risk our relations with China. It doesn’t mean decoupling from China, but we must reduce one-sided dependencies bearing in mind our security, and also to address our common security concerns with our partners around the world,” she said.

Representatives of Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and South Korea were invited to attend the NATO foreign ministers meeting on Wednesday, to discuss the latest developments in their region.

Criticism of China’s Ukraine policy

Baerbock stressed that China bears special responsibility, as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, for peace and the rules-based international order

“In 2013, China signed an agreement with Ukraine, and promised to support Ukraine’s security,” she said, and criticized Beijing’s balanced stance today on the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

“Withdrawing now to a so-called neutrality would not be appropriate with China’s role,” Baerbock said.