Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense announced that two German navy vessels, a frigate and a supply ship, passed through the Taiwan Strait on the 13th. During the period from 6 a.m. on the 13th to 6 a.m. on the 14th, a total of 17 incidents of Chinese military aircraft crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait were detected, and the Taiwanese military closely monitored and responded using joint measures.
The German navy frigate “Baden-Württemberg” (F 222) and the supply ship “Frankfurt” (A 1412) transited the Taiwan Strait on the 13th, marking the first time in 22 years that German warships have crossed the Taiwan Strait. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) had previously stated its “resolute opposition,” while the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that it is upholding freedom of navigation in international waters.
Earlier, a spokesperson for the CCP’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs criticized the passage as undermining China’s territorial sovereignty. Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Liu Yongjian expressed that the comments made by the CCP spokesperson only serve to highlight the CCP’s ambitious attempt to challenge the rules-based international order.
The Ministry of National Defense of Taiwan released a press release stating that the two German navy vessels traveled from north to south through the Taiwan Strait from the morning of the 13th. Throughout the journey, the Taiwanese military maintained full awareness of the dynamics in the surrounding sea and airspace, with everything reported as normal.
According to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, in waters beyond territorial seas, all countries enjoy the freedom of the high seas, meaning that ships of any country have the right to exercise these freedoms without interference from other countries. The U.S. Navy’s operational manual also defines the Taiwan Strait as an “international strait.”
Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense today disclosed the activities of Chinese military aircraft in the airspace around Taiwan, detecting a total of 21 incidents involving Chinese military aircraft (including 17 incidents crossing the median line into the northern and southwestern airspace), 6 incidents involving Chinese vessels, and 1 government ship since 6 a.m. on the 13th until 6 a.m. today, all continuing to operate in the vicinity of the Taiwan Strait.
The Ministry of National Defense of Taiwan released a diagram illustrating the activities of Chinese military aircraft in the airspace surrounding Taiwan, with a total of 5 incidents of Chinese main and unmanned aircraft detected in the Taiwan Strait airspace from 6 a.m. to 10:55 p.m. on the 13th, including one crossing the median line. Additionally, from 8:12 a.m. to 8:39 p.m. on the 13th, 16 incidents of Chinese main and auxiliary aircraft were detected in the southwestern airspace of Taiwan.
Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense highlighted that the military is actively monitoring and responding to these activities using a combination of mission aircraft, ships, and land-based missile systems.