traversal
Baerbock does not rule out a frigate in the Taiwan Strait
Annalena Baerbock makes a press statement at the Auckland Museum. photo
© Sina Schuldt/dpa
Two German navy ships are setting off on a Pacific mission on Tuesday. The route could certainly have an explosive impact on foreign policy.
Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock does not rule out the possibility that the frigate “Baden-Württemberg” will use the Strait of Crossed Taiwan. During her visit to New Zealand on Saturday, the Green politician said that the route of the warship and a supply ship would not be announced in advance. At the same time, she emphasized that the “right of peaceful passage” also applies to the Taiwan Strait. “The same rules apply there as in all comparable sea areas where our ships and other ships sail.” The training mission of the two ships takes place on this basis.
The frigate “Baden-Württemberg” and the task force supplier “Frankfurt am Main” will start a trip around the world on Tuesday, during which they will enter the Pacific through the Panama Canal and later also cross the South China Sea. There was already a comparable mission from August 2021 to February 2022. The frigate “Bayern” took part in maneuvers with allies at the time, but avoided Taiwan.
Crossing the Taiwan Strait could be seen as a provocation by China. The Communist People’s Republic claims the Democratic Republic of Taiwan as its own territory and has repeatedly threatened to invade.
The USA, Great Britain and France still show a military presence in the strait between Taiwan and China. Taiwan’s representative in Germany, Jhy-Wey Shieh, recently demanded in an interview with the German Press Agency that the frigate “Baden-Württemberg” should follow this example. It was “disappointing” that this was not the case on the previous “Bayern” mission. It would be a “sign” to China if things were different now.