A German lawmaker has revealed that the country will not supply weapons and military equipment to Taiwan amid its tensions with China.
Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, the head of the country’s parliamentary defense committee, said during her recent visit to Taipei that the situation in the Asian country is different from what is happening in Ukraine.
Berlin is emerging as one of the top donors of weapons to Kyiv to support its counter-offensives against Russian forces.
According to her, Germany’s role in Taiwan is “less military.”
“There’s no question about sending weapons to Taiwan. That is not the question. We talked a lot here with people, with politics, and the question is not ‘please Germany send us weapons,’” Zimmermann told reporters.
Many countries have reportedly been reluctant to sell weapons to Taiwan over fears of angering China and prompting a trade backlash.
‘Moral Obligation’
When asked if Western countries should also assist Taiwan militarily amid increasing threats from China, Strack-Zimmermann only said that Germany would not attempt to do so.
She further stated that the island nation has a different partner when it comes to arming its army.
Free Democratic Party deputy chairman Johannes Vogel explained that Germany has a “moral obligation” to avoid military aggression in the Taiwan Strait.
“And then one has to think what can you bring on the table, and we think the economic dimension of avoiding a horrible scenario is something we can effectively bring on the table,” he said during a press conference.