The following article appeared in the February issue of The Parliament magazine.
As news headlines go, “Education minister takes trip overseas” isn’t much of an attention-grabber. But it gains some heft when the minister in question is German, and the destination is Taiwan.
When Germany’s Minister of Education and Research, Bettina Stark-Watzinger, touches down in Taiwan, as she is scheduled to do in February, it will mark the first cabinet-level visit by a German official in 26 years. With Beijing increasingly hostile to the island nation, some in Taipei are hoping the visit signals a new direction in relations with Germany.
“This is not just a member of parliament but also the head of an important government ministry,” says Peter Heidt, a Free Democratic Party (FDP) colleague of Stark-Watzinger. “It’s a very good sign to Taiwan and the world that we have a great interest in closer co-operation.”
The trip follows visits to Taiwan by two Bundestag delegations in 2022, and a series of events in Taipei and Berlin aimed at bolstering ties.
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