German Navy Warships To Pass Through Taiwan Strait For First Time In 22 Years

Germany is preparing for an unusual military move in the Indo-Pacific region. Two of its warships are scheduled to sail through the controversial Taiwan Strait in mid-September.

This is the first time in 22 years that German Naval vessels will transit through the 180-kilometer-wide waterway, a crucial international maritime route claimed by China.

The frigate FGS Baden Württemberg will transit alongside a replenishment vessel to demonstrate Germany’s commitment to open navigation and a rules-based international system.

According to Der Spiegel, the German Defense Ministry has refused to comment, but unnamed sources have said that Beijing will not be formally informed of the ship’s passage.

During a recent port visit to Incheon, South Korea, Rear Admiral Axel Schulz, commander of the German naval task force, stated that safe and secure sea lanes, especially those connecting Southeast Asia to Europe and America, are crucial for the growth of all countries.

Schulz refused to confirm whether the task force would transit the Taiwan Strait en route to its next destination, Manila, citing operational security concerns.

Beijing has already criticized the planned passage.

China claims control over the Taiwan Strait, which separates the Chinese mainland from the self-governed island of Taiwan.

Beijing claims the strait to be its territorial waters, while Taiwan and several Western countries, including the U.S., consider it an international waterway.

Taiwan opposes China’s claims, stating that only the island’s people can decide their future.

In recent months, the Taiwan Strait has become an issue of concern with multiple U.S. and ally warships, including those from Canada, conducting transits that China routinely condemns as provocations that threaten regional stability.

The German passage would be the first since 2002, indicating a shift in Berlin’s foreign policy toward asserting a stronger presence in the Indo-Pacific amid rising tensions over China’s claims.

The German naval vessels have participated in military drills with allies from France, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, and the United States. Schulz stated that the aim is to reaffirm Germany’s commitment to a rules-based international order and to avoid possible conflicts through cooperation with allies.

The naval mission also includes initiatives to monitor sanctions imposed on North Korea. Germany joined the US-led United Nations Command in South Korea last month, which monitors North Korea’s heavily guarded border and has committed to defending the South in times of conflict.

The increased involvement follows suspicions that North Korea, which just signed a mutual defense treaty with Russia, has been supplying Moscow with weaponry for use in Ukraine.

Georg Schmidt, the German Ambassador to South Korea, highlighted the interconnection of global issues, stating that anything that happens in Russia and Ukraine directly impacts South Korea, just as what happens in North Korea impacts Germany.

Reference: Reuters

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Source: Maritime Shipping News