Germany’s escort ship Baden-Württemberg will head to the Pacific next week to conduct training missions. During her visit to New Zealand on Saturday, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock did not rule out the possibility of German warships crossing the Taiwan Strait.
According to DPA, the Baden-Württemberg escort ship will depart on Tuesday (May 7) accompanied by a supply vessel to embark on a training mission lasting several months in the Pacific. These ships will pass through the Panama Canal into the Pacific and then also sail through the South China Sea.
On Saturday, Foreign Minister Baerbock, in a joint press conference with New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters, stated that the sailing route of these two German warships will not be disclosed in advance. However, she emphasized that these warships will exercise “innocent passage rights,” which may include passing through the Taiwan Strait.
“The same rules apply to our ships and other vessels sailing in all similar sea areas,” she said.
Passing through the Taiwan Strait could provoke dissatisfaction from the Chinese Communist Party. Although Beijing has never ruled over Taiwan, it has consistently claimed sovereignty over the island. The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs declared in June 2022 that Beijing has “sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction” over the Taiwan Strait. The United States, at that time, countered by stating that the Taiwan Strait is an international waterway, and the U.S. will continue to operate where international law permits, including the Taiwan Strait.
In recent years, the passage of U.S., British, Canadian, and other allied warships through the Taiwan Strait has sparked disapproval from Beijing.
The last time the German Navy conducted a mission in the Indian Ocean-Pacific region was in 2021. The Bayern-class escort ship “Bayern” participated in exercises with allied forces in the region in August and September 2021, but did not sail through the Taiwan Strait at that time.