Maas wants to strengthen relations with Asia – dpa

B erlin / Tokyo (dpa) – The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Heiko Maas, wants to promote the beginning of his trip to Asia to Japan for as strong international cooperation as possible

As the solution of the problems common sense is no longer self-evident, the close partnership with Japan and South Korea for Germany has become even more important, "he said before leaving for Tokyo.The context is the foreclosure policy by US President Donald Trump

On Wednesday, Maas wants to meet with Foreign Minister Taro Kono and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Tokyo, and then travels to South Korea, where the process of rapprochement with South Korea will take place. Communist North

Japan is considered the closest partner of Germany in Asia.The two countries are members of the group of the seven major industrialized countries, the G7.The European Union has signed an ac trade with Japan last week to create the largest free trade area in the world. It is seen as a counter-model to Trump's foreign trade policy, which counterbalances trade surpluses of the EU or China with punitive tariffs.