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Two German warships will pass through the Taiwan Strait

2024-09-07 20:04:00, Kosova & Bota CNA
Two German warships will pass through the Taiwan Strait
Taiwan Strait, source: VOA

Two German warships will pass through the Taiwan Strait this month, the first time in 22 years that the German navy has visited the sensitive region, Spiegel magazine reported on Saturday.

Last month, the Reuters news agency reported that warships were awaiting orders from Berlin to sail into the sensitive area, prompting China to criticize Germany's decision.

Spiegel magazine cited unspecified sources as saying that Beijing would not be officially notified of the German ships' passage, implying that Berlin sees the trip as normal. The German defense ministry declined to comment.

While the United States and other countries, including Canada, have sent warships through the Taiwan Strait in recent weeks, this would mark the first German naval presence in the region since 2002.

China claims sovereignty over democratically-governed Taiwan and says it has jurisdiction over the nearly 180km-wide sea lane between Taiwan and China. Taiwan strongly disputes China's claims to sovereignty and says only the island's residents can decide their future.

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

German Navy Rear Admiral Axel Schulz told the Reuters news agency last month that a cruise in the Taiwan Strait would demonstrate Germany's commitment to a rules-based order and the peaceful resolution of territorial conflicts.

The two German warships are taking part in a joint exercise in the region with France, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines and the United States.

Beijing regularly criticizes the passage of foreign warships through the Taiwan Strait, which it says "undermine peace and stability" in the region.

Germany, an important trading partner for China and Taiwan, has joined other Western countries in expanding its military presence in the region in response to Beijing's growing territorial ambitions./ VOA





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