Germany strikes balancing act in Southeast Asia

Written by Nina Haase Germany's position on Israel loomed large during Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock's recent trip to Malaysia. But Germany's economic and strategic interests are still the foundation of building ties in the region. When German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock met her Malaysian counterpart, Mohamad Hasan, in Kuala Lumpur on January 12, she was on day six of a trip that had taken her from the Middle East to Southeast Asia. Advertisement Although Gaza is some 7,600 kilometers (4,700 miles) away, the Israel-Hamas war took center stage. Baerbock said she wanted to better understand the perspective of a Muslim-majority…