German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has offered South Korea Germany's support in regional conflicts. Cooperation with the country should be expanded in the areas of climate, economy, but also security, Baerbock said in Seoul on Saturday.

Just as other nations stand up for security in Europe, the "concerns and needs here in the region must be taken seriously," she added during a joint appearance with South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin. This applies to both a threat from North Korea and tensions in the Taiwan Strait. Last week, French President Emmanuel Macron indicated that he did not see the importance of these conflicts for the EU as a priority.

Baerbock visits border with North Korea

Baerbock announced that Germany would participate in monitoring sanctions against North Korea. She described the North Korean missile tests as contrary to international law and a "real threat" to the region. You can't "sit back".

"We want to get more involved in the Indo-Pacific," said the Green politician, referring to the corresponding strategy of the Federal Government. The Indo-Pacific is a key region for the 21st century. She also spoke about this during her visit to China.

Immediately after her arrival in South Korea, Baerbock visited the border with North Korea. At the so-called Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), she learned about the current situation in the country, which is ruled by ruler Kim Jong-un. On Friday, North Korean state media reported that the country had tested a new type of solid-propellant intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) Hwasongpho-18, making significant progress in nuclear deterrence.

Under international law, both Korean states have been in a state of war since the end of the Korean War in 1953. There has never been a peace treaty.

Dispute over SPD paper on China

During her meeting with Foreign Minister Park Jin in Seoul on Saturday, Baerbock thanked South Korea for its support of Ukraine after the Russian invasion. "You can count on us to stand by your side as partners," she said. "We won't forget that."

Parallel to her trip to Asia, a dispute has broken out in the traffic light coalition over the future course of China. Green politicians criticized a strategy paper by the conservative wing of the SPD, in which it warns against an "anti-China" strategy. Bundestag Vice-President Katrin Göring-Eckardt told the newspaper "Welt am Sonntag": "It worries me that the SPD has apparently learned nothing from its Russia policy, which is fatal for Germany."

In dealing with China as an important trading partner, the following must apply: cooperation yes, dependence no, said Göring-Eckardt. "To make oneself dependent on authoritarian forces again with one's eyes wide open is the opposite of pragmatism."

Green parliamentary group deputy Andreas Audretsch told the German Press Agency: "China is a partner, competitor and systemic rival at the same time – recognizing this is the basis of a serious China policy. In the SPD, this still doesn't seem to have reached parts of it."

Mihalic: Baerbock shows how partnership works on an equal footing

The Seeheim Circle of conservative politicians in the SPD had called for a pragmatic China policy in a strategy paper. At the same time, it expresses criticism of Foreign Minister Baerbock and Economics Minister Robert Habeck (both Greens). There should be no "one-dimensional German foreign and economic policy" towards China, according to the Seeheim Circle.

China is seen as an important partner in tackling global challenges such as climate change, the looming nuclear arms race and the numerous trouble spots. At the same time, China has increasingly become a competitor and systemic rival. The German government is currently working on a new China strategy.

Criticism of the SPD paper was also voiced by State Secretary for Economic Affairs Franziska Brantner (Greens). No one serious is calling for a complete decoupling of the two economies, but the risks of economic dependencies must be minimized.

The parliamentary secretary of the Greens' parliamentary group, Irene Mihalic, told the Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland that she was glad that the foreign minister was not travelling around without courage and profile, "but clearly articulated our interests and values". "This is the only way to achieve partnership on an equal footing."