Washington [US], September 9: A German magazine first reported the news and foreign media outlets quoted it, but the German government neither confirmed nor denied that two German warships were about to pass through the Taiwan Strait.
These two ships arrived in the Asia-Pacific region few months ago to participate in joint naval exercises with the navies of Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, France, the US, Italy and Japan.
Reuters reported in August that two German warships were awaiting orders to pass through the Taiwan Strait. Warships from the United States, Canada and several other countries have routinely passed through the strait. If German warships do so, it would be the first time since 2002.
Just the intention, not the concrete action, is enough to negatively affect the relationship between Germany and China. The difference in views lies in the fact that China considers this strait as internal waters while Germany and the above countries consider it an international shipping route. China is a very important economic and trade partner of Germany, but like the EU in general and many other Western countries, Germany is wary of and counters China in many aspects, at the same time wants to approach and conquer the Indo- Pacific region .
To achieve these goals, Germany also advocates building and strengthening its direct presence in the region in terms of politics, economics, trade , and especially military and political security. In this context, sending warships through the Taiwan Strait is always seen as a test to respond to China.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper