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Taipei, October 28 (CNA) Germany recognizes the role that Taiwan plays in international affairs and supports its participation in global forums, such as the World Health Assembly (WHA) and Interpol, announced during a recent interview with the new German envoy to Taiwan.
On Wednesday, Thomas Prinz, the new managing director of the German Taipei Institute, told AIIC that his country recognized "the constructive role played by Taiwan in international affairs".
Therefore, Germany supports Taiwan whenever it can within the framework of its One China policy, he said.
"Of course, we would like to see Taiwan contribute and cooperate in the international forum," said Prinz, citing forums such as WHA and Interpol, both eager to join Taiwan but who have been stranded under pressure from China.
"But unfortunately, this is not in our hands, we are trying to support Taiwan, but the situation is complicated," he said, referring to Beijing's oppression of Taipei on the world stage.
Invited to comment on the current relations in the Taiwan Strait, strained since the inauguration of President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) in May 2016, Mr. Prinz said that any measure taken by each party to calm tensions in the strait would be appreciated.
"No one can win in violent conflict, I think China is aware of it, stability in this part of the region is in the best interests of all stakeholders," he said.
He also said that the international community needed China as a constructive partner – especially for issues related to climate change and the World Trade Organization – and that China also needed partners.
"In the end, we all benefit from a rules-based international order," he said.
Calling Taiwan a like-minded democracy, Prinz said Germany would continue to support it "as much as possible under the difficult circumstances".
Citing some examples of this close cooperation, the de facto ambassador to Taiwan said that Taiwan was Germany's fifth largest trading partner in Asia; On the other hand, Germany is the main trading partner of Taiwan in the European Union.
In the field of education, the envoy said that Germany has always been one of the first choice of Taiwanese students to study in Europe, thanks to its policy of free education and a high quality education.
Currently, a record 2,000 Taiwanese students are studying in Germany, he said, adding that he wanted the number to continue to increase.
Prinz took office late July at the head of the institute, the de facto German Embassy in Taiwan. Before coming to Taiwan, he was ambassador of Germany to Bangladesh from 2015 to 2018.
Asked about the priorities of his mandate, Mr. Prinz said that he wanted to intensify bilateral cooperation in the fields of people-to-people contacts. Taiwanese students in Germany; economic cooperation, especially in the high technology sector; and energy.
(By Joseph Yeh)
Enditem / cs
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