Berlin: Prior to the visit of German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock to Beijing, Germany accused China on Wednesday of escalating tensions with its recent military exercises around Taiwan.

According to Andrea Sasse, a spokeswoman for the foreign ministry, "we have the impression that actions like threatening military gestures... increase the risk of unintended military clashes."

She continued by saying that Germany is "working with our international partners to contribute to de-escalation" in the area. Later on Wednesday, Baerbock will leave for China, where she will meet with top Chinese foreign and defence officials to discuss Taiwan and the conflict in Ukraine.

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Emmanuel Macron, the president of France, recently made a contentious trip to Beijing.
 As he was flying back from China last week, Macron ruffled the feathers of some Western allies by saying that Europe should not adopt US policy on Taiwan.

When prompted to respond to Macron's remarks at a government press conference on Wednesday, Sasse and a spokesperson for Chancellor Olaf Scholz both declined to do so. As a result of a civil war in 1949, China and Taiwan split.

The democratic island is seen by Beijing as a part of its territory, and it has made threats to conquer it in the future. Recently, Beijing has increased its rhetoric and military activity near the island.

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Washington has provided Taipei with arms sales and political support for many years in order to help ensure its ability to defend itself.

China's three-day military exercises came to an end on Monday in response to Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen's visit to the US last week, during which she met with a bipartisan group of lawmakers and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

During her visit, Baerbock, who has in the past advocated for greater caution in trade with China, will meet with representatives of German businesses as well as the Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang.

Then, on Saturday, she will take a flight to South Korea for a visit to the demilitarised zone and political talks in Seoul. On Sunday, she will travel to Japan for the G7 foreign ministers' meeting.

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Josep Borrell, the head of EU foreign policy, had been scheduled to travel with Baerbock to China, but he will no longer be there after testing positive for Covid-19.