Advertisement
South China Sea: Chinese, German defence ministers discuss Beijing’s claims over waterway
- Pandemic, human rights and concerns about Uygurs in Xinjiang among topics covered by Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer and Wei Fenghe
- Germany is expected to send a frigate through the disputed waters next month, its first warship to make the crossing since 2002
Reading Time:2 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
32
Chinese and German defence ministers have exchanged views ahead of the expected sailing of a German frigate through the disputed South China Sea next month.
Advertisement
The German defence ministry said that during Tuesday’s video call, minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer asked her Chinese counterpart General Wei Fenghe to uphold a 2016 international arbitration decision that limited China’s claims to some sea areas in the South China Sea. According to Reuters, she also raised human rights concerns about the Uygur population in China’s Xinjiang region, an issue increasingly raised with Beijing by Western democracies.
General Wei focused on recent celebrations marking the Communist Party centenary and urged Berlin to “properly manage disagreements” through dialogue, according to the Chinese defence ministry statement.
“[We] hope Germany will join China in upholding multilateralism, resist politicising the coronavirus pandemic, rejecting a zero-sum game [in geopolitics] and defending global justice,” Wei was quoted as saying.
Advertisement
“Both sides should strengthen strategic communication, continue with exchanges in existing mechanisms and properly manage disagreements, to push for the stable development of the two armies,” he added, according to the statement.
Advertisement