(Global Times) On Monday, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul and Japanese Foreign Minister Iwaya Takeshi held the first Japan-Germany Foreign Ministerial Strategic Dialogue in Tokyo. During the meeting, Wadephul repeatedly made negative remarks about China, loudly accusing China of "increasingly aggressive behavior" in the Taiwan Straits, the South China Sea, and the East China Sea, and claimed "in order to safeguard our freedom, Germany and Japan must, and intend to, invest more in their own security." The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, without naming him, criticized Wadephul for "sowing discord and hyping up tensions" - warning him not to become a troublemaker in the Asia-Pacific.

Wadephul's attacks on China are groundless and nothing new. Yet, it is shocking that as the foreign minister of one of Europe's major powers, he has become a "parrot" of the West's outdated anti-China narrative. Public perception generally sees politicians from Germany's Christian Democratic Union as pragmatic, calm, and low-key. 

However, the signals conveyed by this CDU-affiliated foreign minister's statements in Japan suggest that the gap between Germany's perception of China and China's perception of Germany is widening: China still views Germany as a cooperative partner, whereas some in Germany see China as a "threat and rival" that requires rallying allies against. This is hardly reassuring to outside observers.

Wadephul's remarks reveal a disregard for China's core interests and expose historical amnesia and double standards in Germany's China policy. The Taiwan question is a core interest of China and a red line in China-Germany relations that cannot be crossed. Both the Cairo Declaration and the Potsdam Proclamation stated in explicit terms that all the territories Japan had stolen from the Chinese, such as Taiwan island, shall be restored to China. Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory, and no external force has any right to interfere. As Germany's foreign minister, Wadephul's meddling in the Taiwan question is an act of boundless interference in China's internal affairs and a challenge to the international order established after the WWII.

After WWII, Germany remained divided for a long period, and the government of the Federal Republic of Germany consistently regarded national reunification as an unshakable political goal. China showed sympathy and support for this, out of respect for the principles of the integrity of state territory and sovereignty. 

Logically, a reunified Germany should be the one that best understands the Chinese nation's position and aspiration to achieve complete national reunification. Yet in reality, some German politicians have made inappropriate remarks on the Taiwan question, which concerns China's core interests.

This highlights the "selective historical amnesia" in Germany's foreign policy - emphasizing sovereignty and national will on its own reunification issue, while applying double standards on the question of reunification in other countries. Such a contradictory stance undermines the credibility of its proclaimed commitment to "an international order."

In recent years, the situation in the East China Sea and the South China Sea has remained generally stable, with regional countries effectively managing disputes through bilateral and multilateral channels. China has consistently advocated and strictly practiced the principle of resolving maritime disputes with its neighbors through dialogue and consultation. 

By contrast, certain countries outside the region, under the pretext of "freedom of navigation," travel thousands of miles to stir up trouble around China's periphery for their own self-interest. They are the real troublemakers. By ignoring these facts and hyping up the so-called "China threat," the German foreign minister is merely endorsing Washington's so-called "Indo-Pacific strategy" and lending support to its geopolitical agenda of containing China.

While Wadephul talks about security presence in Asia "in the name of peace," it seems to overlook the security predicament Europe itself is facing. Since the outbreak of the Ukraine crisis, the European continent has once again been plunged into bloody conflict, with large numbers of civilians displaced and energy security and economic stability severely affected. If Europe cannot even guarantee its own security, how can it bring security to Asia? On the Ukraine issue, China is neither a conflict instigator nor a party directly involved, but has always maintained an objective and impartial stance, actively promoting peace talks and contributing constructively to a political settlement of the crisis. As German foreign minister, Wadephul's claim that China "supports Russia" in the conflict is sheer fabrication. At a time when Washington is presiding over Russia-Ukraine peace negotiations, Berlin's choice to echo the rhetoric of certain American politicians and "shift blame" onto China is a display of political expediency and blind obedience, hardly befitting Germany's identity as a major European power that ought to pursue strategic autonomy. 

For many years, Germany has earned global respect for its profound reflection and remorse over its own war crimes. A more appropriate message from the German foreign minister during his visit to Japan would have been to advise Tokyo on how to better reflect on its wartime responsibilities. It is hoped that the Wadephul will respect the facts, discard prejudice, retract his inappropriate remarks on China, and take concrete steps to help bring China-Germany relations back onto the track of sound and stable development. China-Germany relations are a crucial part of China-EU ties. Maintaining a healthy bilateral relationship serves not only the development of both countries, but also the peace and prosperity of the world.