September 13, 2024
Today, September 13, despite Beijing’s previous warning, two German Navy warships, destroyer “Baden-Württemberg” and supply ship “Frankfurt am Main” still passed through the Taiwan Strait on their way from the port of Incheon in South Korea to the capital Manila of the Philippines. This move could cause diplomatic tensions between Germany and China.
According to international law, the Taiwan Strait is not China’s internal waters, so ships are free to move through it. However, the Chinese government not only claims Taiwan as its territory, but also gives itself the right to prohibit foreign warships from passing through this strait.
In May, as two German warships were about to leave a German port for an Indo-Pacific tour, China warned them not to pass through the Taiwan Strait. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said that China always respects freedom of navigation but firmly opposes any country provoking China and threatening its sovereignty in the name of freedom of navigation.
This is the first time in 22 years that a German warship has passed through the Taiwan Strait. For Germany, this is not a provocation but an application of international law. Today, Roderich Kiesewetter, a German expert from the CDU party, said: “In recent years, many other countries have frequently passed through this international waters, that is, the Taiwan Strait.” And he stressed: “It is important that Germany, as a country with a large economy that is completely dependent on free sea routes for its exports, must finally do this (pass through the Taiwan Strait), because otherwise Germany’s reputation and the trust of countries in the region such as Taiwan, the Philippines or Japan in Germany will be severely affected.”
A few days ago, the Chinese govrnment once again issued a warning. Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning said that China does not accept provocations and threats from relevant countries against China’s sovereignty and security under the guise of freedom of navigation.
Germany’s dispatch of two warships to the Indo-Pacific is to demonstrate its commitment to maintaining freedom of navigation in this region. “Safe sea routes, especially from Southeast Asia to Europe and the United States, are a prerequisite for the economic prosperity of all countries,” Vice Admiral Axel Schulz, in charge of the German navy, said at a reception held on board the ship, while the ship was visiting the South Korean port of Incheon.
Two warships of the German Navy: the destroyer “Baden-Württemberg” and the supply ship “Frankfurt am Main.”
