Taiwan calls on Germany to help maintain 'regional order'

Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen meets Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, head of Germany's parliamentary defence committee, at the presidential office in Taipei, Taiwan, January 10, 2023. Taiwan Presidential Office/Handout via REUTERS

Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen called on Germany on Tuesday to help maintain "regional order" during a meeting with senior German lawmakers who are visiting the island on a trip that Beijing has condemned.

Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory, has been heartened by support from Western democratic allies in the face of stepped-up Chinese military threats, including war games staged by China near the island in August.