German Warships to Steam Through Taiwan Strait, First Time in Decades

By Jim Morris, Warrior Vice President, News   

For the first time in more than two decades, German warships reportedly will sail through the Taiwan Straits – a move that China sees as unfriendly. 

   According to the German magazine Der Spiegel, the frigate Baden-Wurttenberg and the supply ship Frankfurt am Main will transit through the strait in the middle of the month while on a journey from South Korea to Indonesia.  The magazine cited sources saying that Berlin considers the mission a routine operation and does not intend to formally notify Beijing. 

   Not surprisingly, China isn’t happy. The country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed its opposition to the planned transit. 

   A spokeswoman says China respects other countries’ rights to sail ships under Chinese and international law. However, she said, “we firmly oppose the relevant countries using the banner of freedom of navigation to provoke and harm China’s sovereignty and security.” 

   It’s not like China is surprised by Germany’s move. The two ships are on a round-the-world voyage that began on May 7. Before the ships even left port, Beijing warned against traveling through the Taiwan Straits. 

   The mission led to some debate inside the German government, according to Der Spiegel. The defense and foreign ministries supported the transit, while the chancellor’s office was said to have had some reservations at first. 

   Last spring, Germany’s defense minister Boris Pistorius called the Indo-Pacific an area of increasingly strategic importance and said, “We want to strengthen our regional partnerships and consolidate our position as a reliable actor in the region.”