BERLIN: German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock on Tuesday criticised Donald Trump's "unacceptable" pledge to seize the Panama Canal, which the returning US president repeated in his inaugural address.
Baerbock was asked in an interview about Trump's comments Monday on the waterway and on his desire to control Greenland, an autonomous territory of NATO ally Denmark.
"Any threat against a NATO member or other states is of course completely unacceptable," Baerbock told German broadcaster RBB.
Baerbock however said that Germany needed to "play it smart", when responding to the president's statements.
"It's not about how President Trump says something... but we should look at why he says something," Baerbock said.
The focus should be on "what interests are behind (Trump's statements)... and then standing up for our own interests", she said.
In the case of the Panama Canal, the message was about China "investing massively in ports and other important infrastructure around the world", Baerbock said.
In his inaugural address on Monday, Trump complained that China was effectively "operating" the key trading route, which the United States transferred to Panamanian control in 1999.
"We didn't give it to China, we gave it to Panama. And we're taking it back," Trump said.
It was not the first time that Trump has expressed his intention to reestablish US control over the canal, with the president repeatedly refusing to rule out using military means.
Germany has no illusions about Trump as he begins his second term in office, Baerbock said.
"The USA is one of our most important allies. We want to and will continue to work closely together," she said.
"But we have positioned ourselves more intensively and even more strongly strategically."