When German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul stood in front of warships at the Japanese naval base in Yokosuka on Tuesday and spoke about China's growing dominance in the region, he knew where it would be viewed particularly critically.

China still hasn't forgotten the German-Japanese alliance during World War II.

A day before, when Wadephul accused China of "aggressive actions" in the region, Beijing reacted angrily and warned against "inciting confrontation and tensions."

But the German foreign minister appeared to have no intention of backing down.

"Neither in Europe, nor in the Indo-Pacific, nor anywhere else in the world, should borders be shifted by force," Wadephul said at the military base in Yokosuka.

It is a clear message with regard to Taiwan — officially known as the "Republic of China." Beijing claims sovereignty over the self-ruled democratic island and vows to seize control, even by force if necessary.  

Germany is committed to the "one China policy," under which Berlin recognizes the government of the People's Republic of China in Beijing as the sole legal government of China.

Although Germany does not maintain official diplomatic relations with Taiwan, it has economic, cultural and research ties with the island, and advocates for peaceful reunification based on mutual agreement.

Germany wants to take on more responsibility

Jürgen Hardt, a German politician from Chancellor Friedrich Merz's Christian Democratic Union (CDU), told DW that Berlin needed to send a clear signal to Beijing as Europe continues to fight for the future of Ukraine.

"We have often asked representatives of the Chinese government whether they support Russia against Ukraine, and they have denied it. But we have a clear impression that this is not true," said Hardt, who is accompanying Wadephul on his Asia trip.

That is why it is right to speak candidly with China, he added.

German troops are currently stationed at the Yokosuka base, where they are part of an international military mission monitoring the enforcement of UN sanctions against North Korea.

"Germany wants to take on more responsibility," Wadephul said in Tokyo, stressing that "systemic rivalry is playing an increasingly important role in our relations."

Japan is less dependent on China

The German foreign minister described Japan as Germany's "premium partner" in Asia.

"We consider it necessary to take on more responsibility together in terms of security policy," he said.

A business delegation also accompanied Wadephul on his trip.

Arnd Franz, CEO of automotive supplier Mahle in Stuttgart, highlighted the need to diversify supply chains and reduce critical dependencies.  

"Our question is: How do we deal with dependencies on raw materials and rare earths?" he asked, pointing out that there are only a few suppliers in the world for some products. "China plays a very dominant role in this, which it exploits."

Mahle produces eight million electric motors a year.

"The Japanese are better prepared for this situation thanks to their risk management, and we are learning from that here," said Franz.

Japan is also much further ahead in its goal of reducing its strategic dependence on China. The country now imports only about 60% of its rare earths from China, while Germany relies on China for 90% of its rare earths.

Japan supports Ukraine, China supports Russia

Japan's ties to Germany over the past few years have also been bolstered by Tokyo's strong support for Ukraine.

Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Tokyo has provided around €12 billion in aid and slapped sanctions on Moscow.

Beijing, on the other hand, supports "Russia's war machine," Wadephul said, adding Germany will "defend the international rules-based order in this region as well," referring to the Taiwan Strait — a major maritime route that is of great strategic importance to trade-reliant economies like Germany and Japan.

"Any escalation in the Taiwan Strait would have serious consequences for global security and the economy," warned the minister.

Germany and Japan have deepened their security cooperation since both sides inked a confidentiality agreement in 2021, allowing their intelligence agencies to share information.

To demonstrate its commitment to the Indo-Pacific, Berlin is also increasingly dispatching German warships on visits to Japanese ports and deploying German Eurofighter jets to Japanese military bases for joint exercises.

The defense industries of both countries are also mulling closer cooperation.

"Germany and Japan are spending much more on defense today, which creates potential," said Hardt, the CDU politician. "Even though companies from both countries are sometimes competitors — as was recently the case when Australia ordered Japanese ships instead of German ones — we will soon be working more closely together."

'Avoid mistakes made in Europe'

Countries in Southeast Asia are paying close attention to events in Europe, with many in the region fearing that a bad deal for Ukraine could encourage Beijing to take a more aggressive stance toward Taiwan or in the South China Sea.

"In the case of Ukraine, we had to revise our assessment of the security situation in Europe," said Hardt, pointing out that German politicians hadn't taken warnings from Eastern Europe and elsewhere about the threat posed by Russia seriously enough.

 "We should not make the same mistake twice," he underlined.

This article was originally written in German.