BERLIN, Jan 8, 2023 (BSS/AFP) - A high-ranking parliamentary delegation from 
Germany said they were travelling to Taiwan on Sunday, ahead of an 
anticipated ministerial visit later this year in moves that could spark 
tensions with China.

Johannes Vogel of the pro-business Free Democratic Party (FDP) -- a junior 
partner in Germany's coalition government -- posted a picture on Twitter of 
him and party colleague Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann on "the plane to 
Taiwan".

The visit was a gesture of "solidarity" with the self-ruled democracy which 
China claims as part of its territory, Strack-Zimmermann, the head of the 
parliamentary defence committee, told AFP on Thursday.

The trip is set to be followed by a visit from German Education Minister 
Bettina Stark-Watzinger, also of the FDP, in the spring, sources told AFP. 

It would be the first by a member of the German cabinet in 26 years.

The delegation would meet with representatives of Taiwan's government and the 
opposition, as well as human rights organisations, business leaders and 
members of the military during its stay, Strack-Zimmermann said ahead of the 
trip.

Berlin's diplomatic overtures to Taiwan are likely to rile Beijing.

President Xi Jinping, China's most assertive leader in a generation, has made 
clear that what he calls the "reunification" of Taiwan cannot be passed on to 
future generations. 

Last year saw a spike in tensions as Beijing ramped up military pressure and 
launched its largest war games in decades to protest against a visit by US 
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in August.

China opposes any official exchanges with Taiwan, and has reacted with 
growing anger to a flurry of visits by Western politicians to the island.

Also in August, the German air force boosted its presence in the Indo-Pacific 
with the deployment of 13 military aircraft, one year after it dispatched a 
frigate to the region for the first time in almost two decades.