Germany's representative in Taipei pushed back hard on Beijing's claim that German reunification is a precedent for taking Taiwan — a boost for Taiwan's diplomatic standing.

• At a German Unity Day reception in Taipei, German representative Karsten Tietz said China often points to its past support for German reunification to demand Berlin back its own "unification" with Taiwan.
• His answer: the two cases are not comparable, because East Germans chose democracy freely, without violence or coercion — and if West Germany had been forced to accept communist rule, unification would never have happened.
• Germany is quietly deepening ties with Taiwan: its Taipei office is the only German mission abroad adding staff, even as Berlin cuts 8% of federal jobs.
• Germany also admitted it got European security wrong — it assumed permanent peace and neglected defense, and now plans to spend 5% of its economy rebuilding military strength and resilience.
• Taiwan's National Security Council head Joseph Wu said Taiwan and Germany both sit on the front line against authoritarian expansion, and Taiwan's democracy has proven it can withstand pressure.

Outlook: Expect Berlin to keep expanding practical ties with Taipei and backing Ukraine, while rejecting Beijing's attempt to borrow Germany's history as justification.