Baerbock warns China its position on Ukraine war affecting bilateral relations

She said this before leaving for China on the evening of Sunday, December 1, Ukrinform reports.

"The war in Ukraine shows how inextricably linked our security in Europe and Asia is. If North Korea sends soldiers and weapons against Ukraine, and Russia supports Pyongyang's nuclear program, then this threatens peace here (in Europe) and in the Indo-Pacific region. Instead of taking responsibility for peace and security in the world as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, China, with its economic and military assistance to Russia, is going against our core European interests. Putin's brutal war of aggression against Ukraine directly threatens our peace. I will also say in Beijing that we cannot simply ignore this in our relations with China," Baerbock said.

She recalled that last week at the G7 meeting, foreign ministers exchanged ideas with partners from the Indo-Pacific region. It became clear once again that all states advocating for a rules-based international order share the same concerns, the minister added.

The diplomat noted that turbulent times show how everything is connected in the world: climate policy cannot be discussed without geopolitics, and Europe's security is closely linked to the security of other regions in the world. Therefore, exchange and diplomacy are more important than ever, even with those who see things differently, Baerbock said. She stressed that in order to protect democratic values and interests, it is important to constantly assume that cooperation is better than confrontation, but at the same time not to be naive.

"As the largest economy in Europe, we are defending our interests, just as China's leadership is defending its own. The same applies to economic, climate and security policy: cooperation where possible, independence where necessary," Baerbock said, outlining her country's approach.

If economic competition is abused for the sake of systemic competition, Germany and Europe will not turn a blind eye to it, she warned. Baerbock stressed that in an interconnected world, economic policy means also security policy.

"We will therefore not allow others to violate the international rules of the game to the detriment of German and European industry –- whether through state-subsidized overproduction or when it comes to human rights, when core ILO labor standards are ignored for the sake of competitive advantage. As Europeans, we support the European Commission, which has a strong mandate to find a solution with China for fair competition and a level playing field," Baerbock said.

Before leaving for China, she held talks with the new EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas.

After a short visit to Beijing, Baerbock will leave for a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Brussels.