German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas attends the weekly cabinet meeting in Berlin, Germany June 6, 2018. REUTERS/Axel Schmidt

BERLIN (Reuters) - The European Union needs to come up with a strategy for dealing with China’s growing economic and political role, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said on Wednesday, including dealing with targeted attempts at dividing the EU.

“We need a common strategy for dealing with China’s power political ambitions,” he told a Berlin audience, “including for resisting targeted attempts at dividing us,” in reference to concerns at China’s growing role as a power-broker in central and eastern Europe.

He also expressed support for a French proposal for a European military intervention force, adding that Britain should be invited to participate even after leaving the European Union.