Two German warships are set to pass through the Taiwan Strait in the middle of this month, becoming the first German naval vessels to do so in 22 years, Der Spiegel reported on Saturday.
Reuters last month reported that the warships, the frigate Baden-Wuerttemberg and the replenishment ship Frankfurt am Main, were awaiting orders from Berlin to sail the Strait, prompting a rebuke to Germany from Beijing.
Der Spiegel cited unspecified sources as saying Beijing would not be formally notified of the German ships’ passage to emphasize that Berlin views the trip as normal.
Photo: Reuters
The German Federal Ministry of Defense declined to comment.
While the US and other nations, including Canada, have sent warships through the Strait in the past few weeks, it would be the German Navy’s first passage since 2002.
China says it has jurisdiction over the nearly 180km-wide waterway between it and Taiwan.
As recently as late last month, the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Ralph Johnson transited the Taiwan Strait.
The US at the time said the transit through the Strait “demonstrates the US’ commitment to upholding freedom of navigation for all nations as a principle.”
The Taiwan Strait is a major trade route through which about half of global container ships pass, and both the US and Taiwan say it is an international waterway.
The commander of the German naval task group, Rear Admiral Axel Schulz, last month said that such a passage would demonstrate Germany’s commitment to a rules-based order and the peaceful solution of territorial conflicts.
“We are showing our flag here to demonstrate that we stand by our partners and friends, our commitment to the rules-based order, the peaceful solution of territorial conflicts and free and secure shipping lanes,” Schulz said at the time.
He said he expected China to closely monitor the passage.
“I expect the Chinese navy and potentially the coast guard or maritime militia to escort us,” he said, adding that it was common practice.
The two German vessels are participating in exercises in the region with France, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines and the US.
Foreign warships sailing through the waterway are regularly condemned by Beijing, which says they “undermine peace and stability” in the region.
Germany, for which both China and Taiwan are major trade partners, has joined other Western nations in expanding its military presence in the region in response to Beijing’s growing territorial ambitions.
A German warship in 2021 sailed through the South China Sea for the first time in almost 20 years.
The Luftwaffe, the aerial warfare branch of the German armed forces, last month deployed fighter jets to Japan for the first joint drills there.
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