German Bundeswehr frigate on explosive course: “They are watching us”

The German Navy is facing an important decision. On the way to Manila, it could sail through the straits between China and Taiwan.

Incheon – After the deployment of the frigate “Hessen” in the Red Sea, the frigate “Baden-Württemberg” will soon set course for the Philippines. But before it gets there, it could choose a route that no German naval ship has used for 22 years: the strait between China and Taiwan. China could see a passage as an affront. After all, the government had warned against a passage. The German marine keeps a low profile.

Despite Chinese warning: German frigate to sail through Taiwan Strait

The leadership of the German frigate “Baden-Württemberg” does not want to comment on a possible journey through the strait between Taiwan and China for reasons of “operational security”. “We are exercising the freedom of international waters here. So there is no reason to say anything about the route we are taking,” said Axel Schulz, Fleet Admiral of the German Navy in the South Korean port of Incheon.

The frigate “Baden-Württemberg” and the task force supply ship “Frankfurt am Main” are currently in South Korea during their Pacific mission, where they were recently involved in the surveillance of U.N.-sanctions against North Korea. If the frigate were to cross the Taiwan Strait between China and the island of the same name before its next stop in Manila, it would be the first time since 2002 that a German naval vessel chose this route.

German Navy pursued by Chinese: “They are watching us”

During its Pacific mission, the German frigate was regularly followed by ships of the Chinese Navy. “They are watching us, but it is all happening from a safe distance. That is nothing that worries us,” said Fleet Admiral Schulz. China had already warned against a passage in the run-up to the Pacific mission.