German foreign minister criticizes 'aggressive' China ahead of trip to Japan

Germany's foreign minister on Sunday criticized what he called the "aggressive behavior" of China in the Taiwan Strait ahead of a trip to Japan and Indonesia, and stressed the need to strengthen internationally binding rules. "China's increasingly aggressive behavior in the Taiwan Strait and the East and South China Seas also affects us in Europe: fundamental principles of our global co-existence are at stake here," the minister said. Last week the Chinese military said it monitored and "drove away" a U.S. destroyer that sailed near the disputed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea, while the U.S. Navy said its action was in line with international law.