From the first day of his visit to Japan, German Foreign Minister Wadpour scolded China until the end of the fourth day of his visit to Indonesia, and scolded China for four consecutive days! To make matters worse, Wadpour said in a keynote foreign policy speech during a visit to an Indonesian think tank that Beijing's "growing military assertiveness in the South China Sea not only threatens Asian security, but also undermines the rules-based world order".
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Wadpur's first stop in Asia was Japan. Everyone expected that the visit would focus on economic cooperation and regional exchanges between Germany and Japan, but as soon as he opened his mouth, he turned the topic to China.
When communicating with Japanese officials and think tanks, he had a very sharp attitude towards China, saying that "regional security is being challenged" and "China affects stability."
This is rare in diplomatic occasions, because under normal circumstances, diplomatic visits will emphasize cooperation and common interests, and will not name and criticize a major country in such a direct way.
For the next two days, he continued this routine. In Japanese forums and business activities, no matter what the theme is, he can't get around to talk about China, and he also assumes a gesture of warning others.
He then flew to Indonesia and thought it would converge, but the results did not stop.In his keynote speech at the Indonesian think tank, he even said directly that the situation in the South China Sea “threatens Asia’s security” and raised the issue to the height of “destroying the global order”.
Such words have clearly gone beyond normal diplomatic expression, more like a “war of public opinion” with political intentions.
During the few days in Indonesia, the content of his speech was basically the same, which was to constantly repeat criticisms of China. Whether in official exchanges or think tank forums, he has emphasized that China's actions have strained the situation in the South China Sea, and also called for "international rules must be observed."
The words were tough, but the reaction in the international community was not as hot as he had imagined.Many media pointed out that his remarks lacked evidence and were more like intentionally creating an atmosphere.
Germany's diplomatic style in the past was actually relatively restrained and low-key. Whether it is about relations between major powers or regional disputes, Germany usually emphasizes multilateral cooperation and rule framework, and rarely criticizes a certain country by name in a high profile, let alone focusing its firepower on the same object for several days in a row.
Wadpur's performance in Asia this time shows that there have been some changes in Germany's attitude.
The reason behind this is strongly related to the current situation in Germany.The first is economic pressure.The German manufacturing industry has always had a global advantage, but has faced a lot of challenges in recent years.
Energy crises, supply chain risks, and global market volatility have made Germany increasingly concerned about the impact of the external environment on its economy, especially in the Asia-Pacific market, which is very important for German export and technological cooperation and naturally also makes Germany more concerned about the situation in Asia.
Moreover, as the Sino-US game intensifies, European countries generally feel external pressure. As a core country in Europe, Germany has to express its position on some key issues.
Vadepur’s speech was, to some extent, a “stand-up” expression, showing both a strong gesture at home and a sense of Germany’s presence in regional security and rules.
In his speech, Wadpur repeatedly stressed that the South China Sea issue is not just a regional friction, but a major issue affecting the global order.
He believes that the tension in the South China Sea is not only related to Asian security, but also affects European interests. For example, shipping security and supply chain stability are crucial to Germany and the EU as a whole.
Therefore, Germany is not content to participate in Asian affairs only at the economic level, but to bring security and rules into the discussion.
In the past, European countries have been more cautious about the South China Sea issue, but since last year, France, Britain and the entire EU have started to speak out on the relevant issues, stressing that “Asia’s security and European interests are closely linked.”
This time, Germany has directly placed the South China Sea issue at the level of global order, indicating that Europe no longer wants to be just a bystander, but wants to become a "defender of rules."
Although Wadpour's words were strong, the international community did not respond to his attitude on a large scale. Many media reports focused more on his unusual behavior of "criticizing China for four consecutive days" than on the content itself.
There are even comments that the German foreign minister was too obsessed with criticizing China during his trip to Asia, but ignored the cooperation issues that should have been promoted, which is not a clever diplomatic operation.
Some Asian countries have cautiously welcomed the attitude of Germany, recognizing that European involvement in regional affairs can increase some sense of balance, but also concerned that Europe may find it difficult to play a real role if it is merely critical and without substantial cooperation initiatives.
As for China, it has not reacted excessively to his words, but has remained consistently calm and continued to advance diplomacy and cooperation at the established pace.This contrast, instead, makes it more clear to the outside world who is actively promoting cooperation and who is creating a negative atmosphere.
From a larger perspective, Vadepur’s performance is actually a signal. Europe’s role in international affairs is changing, and it is no longer just an economic partner, but hopes to have a greater voice on security and rules.
The German Foreign Minister's trip to Asia is a response to this trend. He tried to bring the South China Sea issue to the level of global order, emphasizing observance of rules and transparent and fair handling. Although the words are sharp, what is behind it is Europe's intention to "overweight" Asia-Pacific affairs.
Judging from the results, Wadpour's "serial criticism" did not really change the situation, nor did it invite more countries to join his tone. On the contrary, it highlighted that China's international influence is on the rise, and it is precisely because China is becoming more and more important in the global economy, security and other fields that it has become the object of his "focus" for several days in a row.
Please click "Follow" in the upper right corner of the officials to facilitate your discussion and sharing. Thank you for your support!
Wadpur's first stop in Asia was Japan. Everyone expected that the visit would focus on economic cooperation and regional exchanges between Germany and Japan, but as soon as he opened his mouth, he turned the topic to China.
When communicating with Japanese officials and think tanks, he had a very sharp attitude towards China, saying that "regional security is being challenged" and "China affects stability."
This is rare in diplomatic occasions, because under normal circumstances, diplomatic visits will emphasize cooperation and common interests, and will not name and criticize a major country in such a direct way.
For the next two days, he continued this routine. In Japanese forums and business activities, no matter what the theme is, he can't get around to talk about China, and he also assumes a gesture of warning others.
He then flew to Indonesia and thought it would converge, but the results did not stop.In his keynote speech at the Indonesian think tank, he even said directly that the situation in the South China Sea “threatens Asia’s security” and raised the issue to the height of “destroying the global order”.
Such words have clearly gone beyond normal diplomatic expression, more like a “war of public opinion” with political intentions.
During the few days in Indonesia, the content of his speech was basically the same, which was to constantly repeat criticisms of China. Whether in official exchanges or think tank forums, he has emphasized that China's actions have strained the situation in the South China Sea, and also called for "international rules must be observed."
The words were tough, but the reaction in the international community was not as hot as he had imagined.Many media pointed out that his remarks lacked evidence and were more like intentionally creating an atmosphere.
Germany's diplomatic style in the past was actually relatively restrained and low-key. Whether it is about relations between major powers or regional disputes, Germany usually emphasizes multilateral cooperation and rule framework, and rarely criticizes a certain country by name in a high profile, let alone focusing its firepower on the same object for several days in a row.
Wadpur's performance in Asia this time shows that there have been some changes in Germany's attitude.
The reason behind this is strongly related to the current situation in Germany.The first is economic pressure.The German manufacturing industry has always had a global advantage, but has faced a lot of challenges in recent years.
Energy crises, supply chain risks, and global market volatility have made Germany increasingly concerned about the impact of the external environment on its economy, especially in the Asia-Pacific market, which is very important for German export and technological cooperation and naturally also makes Germany more concerned about the situation in Asia.
Moreover, as the Sino-US game intensifies, European countries generally feel external pressure. As a core country in Europe, Germany has to express its position on some key issues.
Vadepur’s speech was, to some extent, a “stand-up” expression, showing both a strong gesture at home and a sense of Germany’s presence in regional security and rules.
In his speech, Wadpur repeatedly stressed that the South China Sea issue is not just a regional friction, but a major issue affecting the global order.
He believes that the tension in the South China Sea is not only related to Asian security, but also affects European interests. For example, shipping security and supply chain stability are crucial to Germany and the EU as a whole.
Therefore, Germany is not content to participate in Asian affairs only at the economic level, but to bring security and rules into the discussion.
In the past, European countries have been more cautious about the South China Sea issue, but since last year, France, Britain and the entire EU have started to speak out on the relevant issues, stressing that “Asia’s security and European interests are closely linked.”
This time, Germany has directly placed the South China Sea issue at the level of global order, indicating that Europe no longer wants to be just a bystander, but wants to become a "defender of rules."
Although Wadpour's words were strong, the international community did not respond to his attitude on a large scale. Many media reports focused more on his unusual behavior of "criticizing China for four consecutive days" than on the content itself.
There are even comments that the German foreign minister was too obsessed with criticizing China during his trip to Asia, but ignored the cooperation issues that should have been promoted, which is not a clever diplomatic operation.
Some Asian countries have cautiously welcomed the attitude of Germany, recognizing that European involvement in regional affairs can increase some sense of balance, but also concerned that Europe may find it difficult to play a real role if it is merely critical and without substantial cooperation initiatives.
As for China, it has not reacted excessively to his words, but has remained consistently calm and continued to advance diplomacy and cooperation at the established pace.This contrast, instead, makes it more clear to the outside world who is actively promoting cooperation and who is creating a negative atmosphere.
From a larger perspective, Vadepur’s performance is actually a signal. Europe’s role in international affairs is changing, and it is no longer just an economic partner, but hopes to have a greater voice on security and rules.
The German Foreign Minister's trip to Asia is a response to this trend. He tried to bring the South China Sea issue to the level of global order, emphasizing observance of rules and transparent and fair handling. Although the words are sharp, what is behind it is Europe's intention to "overweight" Asia-Pacific affairs.
Judging from the results, Wadpour's "serial criticism" did not really change the situation, nor did it invite more countries to join his tone. On the contrary, it highlighted that China's international influence is on the rise, and it is precisely because China is becoming more and more important in the global economy, security and other fields that it has become the object of his "focus" for several days in a row.