London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Sunday, Oct 26, 2025

China is a ‘systemic challenge’, Germany’s defence chief says

China is a ‘systemic challenge’, Germany’s defence chief says

Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer has called for greater military cooperation with ‘like-minded’ countries such as Australia as Berlin ramps up its military presence in Asia.

Germany’s defence chief has labelled China a “systemic challenge” in a call for greater military cooperation with “like-minded” countries, including Australia, invoking Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea to warn of the risk of territorial conflicts in the Indo-Pacific.

In candid remarks made against the backdrop of uncertainty about the outcome of the United States presidential election, German defence minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer on Thursday said Berlin would boost defence cooperation with Australia and other nations in the region to uphold peace, stability and the “rules-based international order”.

Speaking in a webinar that also featured Australian defence minister Linda Reynolds, Kramp-Karrenbauer said Germany and Australia were united by shared values such as the rule of law, human rights and freedom of navigation, whereas some other countries were “not prepared to accept these principles”.

“A rules-based international order for us is absolutely necessary,” Kramp-Karrenbauer said through an interpreter during the event, which was organised by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, a Canberra-based think tank. “We need that because that is also the basis of economic success.”

The remarks by Germany’s top defence official came after Berlin this week announced it would send a frigate to patrol the Indian Ocean from next year, and deploy German Army officers with the Australian navy as part of an unprecedented ramping-up of its presence in Asia.

“I’m convinced that if like-minded nations, such as our nations, work together and join forces – and we must do that to defend our values and interests in the world – we can achieve a lot,” Kramp-Karrenbauer said.


US and Australian Navy ships on patrol in the South China Sea in April.


In a thinly veiled warning about Beijing’s growing assertiveness in the South China Sea and elsewhere, Kramp-Karrenbauer said Germany’s perspective had been shaped by Russia’s ongoing occupation of Crimea, which prompted international condemnation and sanctions.

“We continue to support sanctions against Russia,” she said. “This example shows that we condemn such developments not only in Europe, but that is a fundamental principle and that applies everywhere in the world. Similar conflicts in the Indo-Pacific should be seen from the same perspective and with the same idea of values and principles.”

While describing China as an important trading partner and crucial to tackling global challenges such as climate change, Kramp-Karrenbauer said the rising superpower was also a “systemic challenge” that should be discussed openly.

“What we consider the basic rules of an open society, of Western democracy, the protection of minorities, for example, the respect for human rights – those values are seen differently in China, and interpreted in a different way there,” she said.

“And that is why we need to speak openly about this. China, I believe, has a very ambitious goal, has developed an ambitious concept. There’s no problem with that, it’s the right of every country to do that. But I agree with Linda [Reynolds] that those ambitions must not be at the expense of others. And that’s why it’s so important to have a rules-based order.”

Kramp-Karrenbauer said Germany would need to “reduce the burden” of global security on the US regardless of whether President Donald Trump or challenger Joe Biden won the election. The defence minister had on Wednesday expressed concern about Trump falsely claiming victory, describing the drawn-out result as a “very explosive situation”.

“We as the German government and we as Europeans will continue to have to do more for our defence, more than we have done so far,” she said.


Source: Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative


Australia’s Reynolds said the region faced a post-pandemic world that would be “poorer, more dangerous and more disorderly” and geographical distance between countries in today’s world was simply a “historic mindset”.

“What does matter are these: our shared democratic values and our shared trust and our shared commitment to the rule of law and, most particularly, our shared respect for the sovereignty of all nations, be they large or small,” she said. “And together we must continue to promote peace and prosperity for all.”

Beijing’s relations with both Canberra and Berlin have markedly deteriorated amid concerns in both countries over its growing influence and assertiveness, while Trump’s antagonistic attitude toward traditional alliances has raised questions about Washington’s long-term presence in the region.

Ralph Thiele, a retired colonel in the German armed forces who is president of the Berlin-based Political-Military Society, said Germany’s push for a greater role in Asia reflected its new-found awareness of China’s growing power and geopolitical importance.

“So far, Germany has kept out of this region militarily – also with training and advisory missions, even with friendly visits,” Thiele said. “Now, with the deployment of a frigate to the Indo-Pacific region, there is a new development that should not be overestimated, but which nevertheless heralds a turnaround.”

But Thiele said the practical impact of Berlin’s moves could be limited, as its military’s operational readiness remained “pretty shaky”.

“There is no serious plan to change that significantly within the next decade,” he said. “So we may see a German ship once in a while in the Indo-Pacific which will not threaten the Chinese too much. Remarkable is the attitude change of Germany. This may be the beginning of a more active German – and consequently [European Union] – security-related engagement in the region.”

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
U.S. and China Near Deal to Avert Rare-Earth Export Controls Ahead of Trump-Xi Summit
Justin time: Justin Herbert Shields Madison Beer with Impressive Reflex at Lakers Game
Russia’s President Putin Declares Burevestnik Nuclear Cruise Missile Ready for Deployment
Giuffre’s Memoir Alleges Maxwell Claimed Sexual Act with Clooney
House Republicans Move to Strip NYC Mayoral Front-Runner Zohran Mamdani of U.S. Citizenship
Record-High Spoiled Ballots Signal Voter Discontent in Ireland’s 2025 Presidential Election
Philippines’ Taal Volcano Erupts Overnight with 2.4 km Ash Plume
Albania’s Virtual AI 'Minister' Diella Set to 'Birth' Eighty-Three Digital Assistants for MPs
Tesla Unveils Vision for Optimus V3 as ‘Biggest Product of All Time’, Including Surgical Capabilities
Francis Ford Coppola Auctions Luxury Watches After Self-Financed Film Flop
Convicted Sex Offender Mistakenly Freed by UK Prison Service Arrested in London
United States and China Begin Constructive Trade Negotiations Ahead of Trump–Xi Summit
U.S. Treasury Sanctions Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro over Drug-Trafficking Allegations
Miss USA Crowns Nebraska’s Audrey Eckert Amid Leadership Overhaul
‘I Am Not Done’: Kamala Harris Signals Possible 2028 White House Run
NBA Faces Integrity Crisis After Mass Arrests in Gambling Scandal
Swift Heist at the Louvre Sees Eight French Crown Jewels Stolen in Under Seven Minutes
U.S. Halts Trade Talks with Canada After Ontario Ad Using Reagan Voice Triggers Diplomatic Fallout
Microsoft AI CEO: ‘We’re making an AI that you can trust your kids to use’ — but can Microsoft rebuild its own trust before fixing the industry’s?
China and Russia Deploy Seductive Espionage Networks to Infiltrate U.S. Tech Sector
Apple’s ‘iPhone Air’ Collapses After One Month — Another Major Misstep for the Tech Giant
Graham Potter Begins New Chapter as Sweden Head Coach on Short-Term Deal
Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa Alleges Poison Plot via Chocolate and Jam
Lakestar to Halt External Fundraising as Investor in Revolut and Spotify
U.S. Innovation Ranking Under Scrutiny as China Leads Output Outputs but Ranks 10th
Three Men Arrested in London on Suspicion of Spying for Russia
Porsche Reverses EV Strategy as New CEO Bets on Petrol and Hybrids
Singapore’s Prime Minister Warns of ‘Messy’ Transition to Post-American Global Order
Andreessen Horowitz Sets Sights on Ten-Billion-Dollar Fund for Tech Surge
US Administration Under President Donald Trump Reportedly Lifts Ban on Ukraine’s Use of Storm Shadow Missiles Against Russia
‘Frightening’ First Night in Prison for Sarkozy: Inmates Riot and Shout ‘Little Nicolas’
White House Announces No Imminent Summit Between Trump and Putin
US and Qatar Warn EU of Trade and Energy Risks from Tough Climate Regulation
Apple Challenges EU Digital Markets Act Crackdown in Landmark Court Battle
Nicolas Sarkozy begins five-year prison term at La Santé in Paris
Japan stocks surge to record as Sanae Takaichi becomes Prime Minister
This Is How the 'Heist of the Century' Was Carried Out at the Louvre in Seven Minutes: France Humiliated as Crown with 2,000 Diamonds Vanishes
China Warns UK of ‘Consequences’ After Delay to London Embassy Approval
France’s Wealthy Shift Billions to Luxembourg and Switzerland Amid Tax and Political Turmoil
"Sniper Position": Observation Post Targeting 'Air Force One' Found Before Trump’s Arrival in Florida
Shouting Match at the White House: 'Trump Cursed, Threw Maps, and Told Zelensky – "Putin Will Destroy You"'
Windows’ Own ‘Siri’ Has Arrived: You Can Now Talk to Your Computer
Thailand and Singapore Investigate Cambodian-Based Prince Group as U.S. and U.K. Sanctions Unfold
‘No Kings’ Protests Inflate Numbers — But History Shows Nations Collapse Without Strong Executive Power
Chinese Tech Giants Halt Stablecoin Launches After Beijing’s Regulatory Intervention
Manhattan Jury Holds BNP Paribas Liable for Enabling Sudanese Government Abuses
Trump Orders Immediate Release of Former Congressman George Santos After Commuting Prison Sentence
S&P Downgrades France’s Credit Rating, Citing Soaring Debt and Political Instability
Ofcom Rules BBC’s Gaza Documentary ‘Materially Misleading’ Over Narrator’s Hamas Ties
Diane Keaton’s Cause of Death Revealed as Pneumonia, Family Confirms
×