German Foreign Minister John Wadfeld is about to embark on a five-day trip to Southeast Asia and the Pacific, seeking to deepen alliances with countries such as Australia and New Zealand to counter the dominance of the United States and China.
Germany’s top diplomat said before embarking on the long journey that “we must expand our strong network of global partnerships along our core interests” at a time when the threat of power politics supersedes the force of law.
Wadfield will visit Singapore on Monday, followed by New Zealand, Tonga, Australia and Brunei.
The minister said all five countries share Germany’s desire for a stable international order and are committed to multilateralism.
What happens in the Taiwan Strait or South China Sea has global implications, he said, without explicitly mentioning China, which has pursued increasingly aggressive policies in the region, including threatening to take over self-ruled Taiwan.
Wadfield also sought to strengthen ties with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the Pacific Islands Forum, established in 1971.
Brunei currently coordinates relations between ASEAN (which also includes Singapore) and the EU.
Wadfel also hopes to drum up support for Germany’s bid for a non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council next year.
The minister described the Indo-Pacific as a region with important partners in sourcing strategically important raw materials as Germany seeks to diversify its supply chain and reduce dependence on key sectors.
It is also a region that plays a decisive role in ensuring sea lanes, global supply chains and economic development, he said.
