German magazine “Der Spiegel” reported on Saturday (September 7) that two German warships are set to pass through the Taiwan Strait in mid-September, marking the first time in 22 years that German Navy vessels will navigate the waters off Taiwan.
The magazine cited unnamed sources on Saturday, stating that Beijing will not formally be notified of the passage of German warships through the Taiwan Strait, emphasizing that the German government considers this voyage as a routine activity.
The German Ministry of Defense declined to comment to Reuters.
Last month, Reuters reported that these two German warships were awaiting government orders to make the passage through the Taiwan Strait, leading to dissatisfaction from Beijing.
Recently, the United States, Canada, and other countries have also sent warships through the Taiwan Strait. If the German warships sail through the Taiwan Strait this month, it would be the first time for the German Navy since 2002.
On Friday, Rear Admiral Axel Schulz, commander of the German Navy Task Force, told Reuters during a visit to the port of Incheon in South Korea on the flight deck of the German Navy frigate “Baden-Wuerttemberg,” that the passage through the Taiwan Strait would demonstrate Germany’s commitment to establishing a rules-based order and peacefully resolving territorial disputes. However, he refused to confirm if the German ships would indeed pass through the Taiwan Strait.
Schulz emphasized on the ship’s deck, “Safe and reliable maritime routes, especially from Southeast Asia to Europe and the Americas, are a prerequisite for the economic prosperity of all our countries.”
“The overall goal of this deployment is to reaffirm Germany’s commitment to the rules-based international order and, at the same time, to train and exchange views with partners and allies in a spirit of trust and cooperation to prevent potential conflicts,” Schulz added.
The Chinese Communist Party has consistently advocated for the reunification of democratic Taiwan through force, claiming sovereignty over Taiwan and asserting jurisdiction over the Taiwan Strait. Taiwan strongly opposes China’s sovereignty claims and asserts that only the people of Taiwan can determine their own future.
The Taiwan Strait is a crucial trade route, with about half of the world’s container ships passing through it, recognized by both the US and Taiwan as an international waterway.
Currently, these two German warships are participating in exercises in the Pacific region alongside France, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, and the United States.
China often condemns foreign warships passing through the Taiwan Strait.
Both China and Taiwan are major trade partners of Germany. Germany, along with other Western countries, has been expanding its military presence in the Pacific to counter Beijing’s growing territorial ambitions.
In 2020, Germany introduced its Indo-Pacific guidelines, leading to a noticeable increase in Germany’s involvement in Indo-Pacific affairs. In 2021, a German warship transited the South China Sea for the first time in nearly 20 years; in July this year, the German Air Force deployed aircraft to Japan for joint military exercises.
(This article is based on reports from Reuters)