The frigate “Baden-Württemberg” is making its way to Jakarta. It will apparently also cross the Taiwan Strait – something China is unlikely to like.
Two German warships will soon be navigating through the Taiwan Strait. This is reported by the news magazine Spiegel. Despite warnings from Beijing, the frigate “Baden-Württemberg” and the supply ship “Frankfurt am Main” are expected to pass through the strait in mid-September. They are expected to set off from South Korea to Jakarta soon. The website “Cruisingearth.com”, which shows current ship positions, showed the ships still in the port in Seoul on Sunday night.
According to the report, the German government is calm about possible protests from the Chinese government. However, the German Ministry of Defense did not want to comment on the plans when asked.
China claims Taiwan as part of its territory and considers the passage of foreign warships through the Taiwan Strait to be a provocation. The People’s Republic has reacted sharply to similar actions in the past, especially when US ships passed through the region.
The People’s Republic has always respected the right to freedom of navigation, but firmly rejects any country provoking China and threatening its sovereignty in the name of freedom of navigation, Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said in May.
Beijing does not rule out military action to gain control over the island of Taiwan. Taiwan, on the other hand, rejects China’s claims and relies on support from the United States and its allies.
Der Spiegel goes on to write that the German government does not want to officially announce the passage to China – a practice that is also used by the USA and other Western nations. This practice is intended to make it clear that the passage through the strait is considered normal shipping traffic and does not represent a special diplomatic incident.
In June last year, an American warship sailed through the Taiwan Strait. It was immediately intercepted by a Chinese ship that came dangerously close to it, as video footage from the US Navy showed.
If the passage actually takes place, it would be the first time since 2002 that German Navy ships have sailed through the Taiwan Strait. This could further strain the already strained relations between China and Western countries, especially given the military tensions in the Indo-Pacific.
In August, Rear Admiral Axel Schulz, commander of the German naval force in the Indo-Pacific, told the Reuters news agency that the ships were still waiting for instructions from Berlin. A passage through the Taiwan Strait would be a strong signal from the German government in the geopolitically sensitive region.
