German parliamentary delegation visits Taiwan to deepen economic ties amid China criticism

A five-member delegation from the German Bundestag, the Berlin-Taipei Parliamentary Friendship Group, arrived in Taiwan on a nine-day visit to strengthen economic and cultural cooperation, drawing criticism from Beijing.

The cross-party delegation is led by Till Steffen of the Green Party and includes lawmakers Klaus-Peter Willsch and Markus Reichel from Chancellor Friedrich Merz's Christian Democrats (CDU), Rainer Kraft from the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), and Mandy Eissing from the Left Party.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said China has always opposed any form of official exchanges between its diplomatic partners and Taiwan. Beijing considers self-ruled Taiwan a breakaway province that will eventually be "reunited" with the mainland.

Delegation leader Steffen defended the trip. "It is in Germany's interest to have a balanced situation and not to depend solely on China," he said. Economic dependence on China — for example in batteries for electric cars — has put Germany in a difficult position, he added. "It is fine to do business with Beijing, but we should not become dependent on China. That is why it is necessary to maintain close relations with other countries at the same time. It is therefore a good thing that we are carrying out a joint research project with Taiwan on the batteries of the future."

AfD lawmaker Rainer Kraft emphasized the economic dimension. "It is very important for Germany to be a partner to Taiwan. Taiwan is a global leader in the semiconductor sector. Semiconductors are essential for the economy of the future — for artificial intelligence and data centers. Given our economic challenges, Germany must not miss the opportunity to remain economically strong in the future," he said.

Taiwanese semiconductor giant TSMC has been building a factory in Dresden, Saxony, since 2024. Together with German companies Bosch, Infineon and NXP, chips for the European market are to be produced from 2027. The total investment amounts to €10 billion.

Taiwan President William Lai Ching-te praised the TSMC project. "This milestone not only strengthens industrial cooperation between Taiwan and Europe. It is also a contribution by Taiwan and Germany to ensuring global supply chains and the shared canon of democratic values," Lai said while receiving the German delegation. "Based on its own historical experience, Taiwan, like Germany, values universal rights such as democracy, freedom and the rule of law," he added.

Steffen also addressed the security dimension. "Chancellor Merz always says: 'We want to be able to defend ourselves so that we never have to.' And that applies to Taiwan as well," he said. "Of course Taiwan must prepare itself. But the greatest threat to Taiwan is that other countries look the other way. And that is precisely what we will not do."

The visit comes as German Economic Affairs Minister Katherina Reiche travels to Beijing, highlighting Berlin's balancing act between economic ties with China and Taiwan.