Our problem remains learned helplessness; there is a misconception that we as Germany can’t accomplish anything anyway. Germany is dwarfing itself, but that is a mistake. We are the largest economy in Europe and the third largest in the world. Of course, this fact carries enormous weight, a weight that we can and should use. For the benefit of our allies, partners and friends, but also for our interests. Nobody in this country can want the authoritarian power of China to attack democratic Taiwan.
At this point, let’s go back to the scenario you outlined. Taiwan falls within a very short time. Why?
I am describing a drastic development that does not necessarily have to take place. The Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine has demonstrated that attackers can certainly fail with their plans. But my aim in my book was to demonstrate the consequences of a Pax Sinica, a Chinese hegemony in East and Southeast Asia. In Europe this is often talked about succinctly, but the consequences would be devastating. And that on all levels. For the Taiwanese, for example, “re-education” in camps would be planned, as Chinese diplomats have already announced in 2022.
They describe the experience of this imagined crisis from the highest political circles down to ordinary people. Why this approach?
I wanted to make an abstract geopolitical danger humanly understandable. In this respect, I tell this emerging threat from the perspective of politicians, military officers and diplomats, but also of normal citizens and even criminals. They have one thing in common: They see what’s coming, but basically no one is really prepared to rebel against this seemingly inevitable fate. I would like to encourage readers of my book to think about what can be done.
In your scenario, Taiwan is forced down so quickly because the USA and Japan are slow to react.
Defend the beginnings – that’s an old saying that still applies today. The more unequivocally the US, Japan and Germany demonstrate their support, the higher the price will be for Beijing if it attacks Taiwan. Fortunately, the Japanese government under Sanae Takaichi has already taken a clear position on this issue.
You have lived in Taiwan and the People’s Republic for a long time. How do the people there live in view of the tensions?
