German minister urges more pressure on Russia before Trump-Zelenskyy meeting, calls China ‘increasingly aggressive’

Wadephul also hit out at what he called China’s repeated threats to “unilaterally change” borders in the Asia-Pacific region, calling Beijing “increasingly aggressive”.

“China repeatedly threatens, more or less openly, to unilaterally change the status quo and shift borders in its favour,” Wadephul said, citing the country’s behaviour in the Taiwan Strait and the East and South China Seas.

“Any escalation in this sensitive hub of international trade would have serious consequences for global security and the world economy,” he added, after talks with Iwaya.

A statement issued on Sunday before Wadephul’s visit to Japan – and later Indonesia – said that China was “increasingly asserting its regional supremacy and, in doing so, is also questioning principles of international law”.

“China’s increasingly aggressive behaviour in the Taiwan Strait and the East and South China Seas also has implications for us in Europe: Fundamental principles of our global coexistence are at stake here,” the statement quoted Wadephul as saying.

In the joint press statement in Tokyo, Wadephul also criticised “China’s support for the Russian war machine” in Ukraine.

“Without it, the war of aggression against Ukraine would not be possible. China is Russia’s largest supplier of dual-use goods, and Russia’s best oil and gas customer,” Wadephul said.