Relationship dossier
Germany
Taiwan
Relationship assessment
Substantial unofficial economic ties coexist with limits on formal political relations.
Germany toward Taiwan
+25Germany maintains economic and practical engagement with Taiwan, including through a bilateral tax agreement, while adhering to its one-China policy. German officials have voiced support for peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.
Taiwan toward Germany
+25Taiwan pursues economic and practical engagement with Germany through unofficial representative channels and bilateral economic ties, including arrangements addressing taxation. The scope of broader government-to-government cooperation is less clear.
Overall relationship
+20The relationship combines sustained economic and practical engagement with a significant political constraint: Germany does not maintain formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan under its one-China policy. The tax agreement and continuing economic ties provide a basis for cooperation, while political relations remain unofficial.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Germany and Taiwan maintain substantial unofficial economic and practical engagement despite Germany's lack of formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan under its one-China policy. A bilateral tax agreement and recurring economic ties support cooperation, while Germany has also expressed support for peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. Political engagement remains constrained by the absence of formal recognition.
Areas of tension
- Germany's one-China policy limits formal political relations with Taiwan.
Key developments
Germany and Taiwan concluded a bilateral agreement addressing the avoidance of double taxation.
German naval vessels transited the Taiwan Strait, drawing attention to Germany's position on freedom of navigation and regional stability.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and implementation of bilateral economic cooperation are unclear.
- The extent of direct German government cooperation with Taiwan beyond economic engagement is uncertain.