According to Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, the German frigate “Baden-Württemberg” will pass through the Taiwan Strait. China sharply criticized this in advance.
The German Navy will sail through the disputed strait between China and Taiwan despite Chinese protests. Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) confirmed the route on Friday in Berlin on the sidelines of a press conference with his Lithuanian counterpart Laurynas Kasciunas.
“And the message is a very simple one, which we have always advocated and which I have always advocated: international waters are international waters,” said Pistorius. And: “It is the shortest route. It is the safest route given the weather conditions and they are international waters, so we are going through.”
According to position data on Internet platforms, the German warship “Baden-Württemberg” and the task force supply ship “Frankfurt am Main” were about to enter the sea area on Friday.
Before the German frigate “Baden-Württemberg” passed through the straits between China and Taiwan, Beijing had expressed criticism. China rejects provocations and threats by the relevant states against China’s sovereignty and security under the guise of freedom of navigation, said Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning.
The People’s Republic considers the waters in the strait to be Chinese waters. Taiwan, which has been governed independently by Beijing for decades, is also considered part of China’s territory. China wants to unite the democratic island state with the mainland – if necessary through its military.
The frigate and the task force supply ship were most recently in South Korea during their Pacific mission, where they were involved in monitoring UN sanctions against North Korea. It will be the first time since 2002 that a German naval ship has sailed through the Taiwan Strait.
