In light of the current geopolitical turmoil and the entering of a new era in Germany’s security and defense policy (Zeitenwende), questions arise regarding Germany’s future role in the East Asian security architecture. Regional as well as geopolitical tensions in the region have increased over the course of 2022, fueled by China’s continued military build-up and assertive stance on Taiwan, Japan’s recently announced new National Security Strategy that foresees increases in defense spending, and the rising US-China tensions.

In this brief, Julia Gurol-Haller says now is the moment for Germany to play a more active and assertive role in East Asian security. Starting off from the launch of Germany’s 2020 Indo-Pacific strategy, Chancellor Scholz’s controversial visit to China in November 2022, and the new German strategy paper on China, this policy brief discusses current security challenges in East Asia and their implications for German foreign and security policy and develops concrete policy recommendations for German policy-makers. It argues that a more proactive German role is needed and that the shift in Germany’s security and defense policy-making offers a window of opportunity to recalibrate its role in the East Asian security architecture.

About the Author

Dr Julia Gurol-Haller is a post-doctoral researcher and lecturer at the Chair for International Relations at Freiburg University. Her research interests are China’s international relations and political economy, transregional authoritarian practices, international security, and the politics of infrastructure and connectivity, with a regional focus on China and the Global South. Her monography “The EU-China security paradox” was published with Bristol University Press in 2022. Her articles have appeared in journals such as International Affairs, the Journal of Contemporary China, and the Journal of Common Market Studies.

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