German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock did not rule out a German frigate crossing the Taiwan Strait, during her visit to New Zealand on Saturday.
On Tuesday, the German frigate Baden-Württemberg and a supply ship will set off on a training mission to the Pacific lasting several months. The vessels will enter the Pacific Ocean through the Panama Canal and later also cross the South China Sea.
The route the ships would take would not be announced in advance, Baerbock said during a press conference with her New Zealand counterpart Winston Peters.
She emphasized that the “right of peaceful passage” applied to the Taiwan Strait.
“The same rules apply as in all comparable sea areas where our ships and other ships sail.”
Crossing the Taiwan Strait could be seen as a provocation by China. Taiwan has had an independent government since 1949, but China considers the self-ruled democracy part of its territory.
The US, Britain and France nevertheless maintain a military presence in the strait between Taiwan and China.
In 2021, the German frigate Bayern took part in manoeuvrers with allies at the time, but avoided Taiwan during its voyage to the Pacific.
