German foreign minister @HeikoMaas: "Germany and Japan can become the core of an alliance of multilateralists."
Among the challenges Maas mentions: "China wants to change the geopolitical balance of power to its favor and demands in its neighborhood something I call allegiance (Gefolgschaft)".
"Our countries are too small to set the tone in the concert of global powers. That's why in these times we have to think about new ways."
"We need a close German-Japanese cooperation (Schulterschluss)"
"We need a close German-Japanese cooperation (Schulterschluss)"
The EU-Japan free trade agreement is "a milestone".
"Territorial conflicts like the one in the South China Sea, the situation in the East China Sea or the nuclear armament of North Korea threaten the entire international order."
... "If we let the intimidation of neighboring countries or the breaking of rules become tacitly accepted, than the order we talk about is in fact already lost."
A significant speech, because @HeikoMaas allies with Japan against Chinese aggressive behavior in the region. Germany in the past tried to stay neutral in the regional conflicts. There were signs that this is over, now the German foreign minister is quite explicit.
Significant also because Maas lays out the idea of a broader global alliance of like-minded mid-sized powers -- with the goal of strengthening the liberal world order. To balance aggressive China and Russia, and to hedge against insecurity triggered by Trump.
Some ideas with regard to such an alliance in my piece from March 2017: berlinpolicyjournal.com/enter-the-b-te…
