German warships to cross Taiwan Strait for first time in 22 years, defying Beijing’s warnings

Two German warships are set to pass through the sensitive Taiwan Strait in the middle of this month, becoming the first German naval vessels to do so in 22 years, Spiegel magazine reported on Saturday.

Reuters reported last month that the warships were awaiting orders from Berlin to sail the Strait, prompting a rebuke to Germany from Beijing.

Spiegel cited unspecified sources as saying Beijing would not be formally notified of the German ships’ passage to emphasise that Berlin views the trip as normal.

Germany’s defence ministry declined to comment.

While the United States and other nations, including Canada, have sent warships through the strait in recent weeks, it would be the German navy’s first passage since 2002.

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China claims sovereignty over democratically governed Taiwan and says it has jurisdiction over the nearly 180-km (110-mile) wide waterway in-between. Taiwan strongly objects to China’s sovereignty claims and says only the island’s people can decide their future.

The Taiwan Strait is a major trade route through which about half of global container ships pass, and both the United States and Taiwan say it is an international waterway.

The commander of the German naval task group, Rear Admiral Axel Schulz, told Reuters last month that such a passage would demonstrate Germany’s commitment to a rules-based order and the peaceful solution of territorial conflicts.

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The two German vessels are taking part in exercises in the region with France, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines and the United States.

Sailings through the waterway by foreign warships are regularly condemned by Beijing, which says they “undermine peace and stability” in the region.

Germany, for which both China and Taiwan are major trade partners, has joined other Western nations in expanding its military presence in the region in response to Beijing’s growing territorial ambitions.