Two German warships are visiting the Philippines for the first time in over 20 years after making a notable transit through the Taiwan Strait.
The port call, which Germany said is a reaffirmation of its commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific region and rules-based international order, rhetoric commonly used by the US, as well as a testament to its defense cooperation with the Philippines, is set against the backdrop of flaring tensions between China and the Philippines due to disputes in the South China Sea.
The vessels, the first-in-class frigate Baden-Württemberg and the Berlin-class supply ship Frankfurt am Main, arrived in Manila on Monday and will remain in port until Thursday.
Per Andreas Pfaffernoschke, the German ambassador to the Philippines, the visit speaks to the ongoing cooperation between the two nations and “underscores how politically significant the Indo-Pacific region has become for Germany.”
In an opinion piece for The Philippine Star, Pfaffernoschke noted that Germany’s visit also showcases its commitment to upholding international law and freedom of navigation, coming at a time “when the international rules-based order in the South China Sea is constantly being challenged.”
Pfaffernoschke added that recent incidents between China and the Philippines have raised concerns about security and stability in the area.
Clashes between China and the Philippines in the South China Sea have been escalating for months as China unjustly claims sovereignty over a majority of the South China Sea, defying international law while increasing efforts to assert its authority in the area.
The Philippines says that China is engaging in aggressive behavior within its exclusive economic zone. Chinese vessels have been documented ramming and harassing Philippine vessels, as well as blocking them from sailing through Philippine waters.
The port call by the German warships also comes at a particularly tense moment between Berlin and Beijing. While traveling to Manila, the Baden-Württemberg and Frankfurt am Main transited the Taiwan Strait, sparking backlash from China.
Unlike most countries that acknowledge that the strait is an international waterway open for freedom of navigation, China claims the strait as its waters.
“The waters of the Taiwan Strait, from both shores toward the middle of the Strait, are China’s internal waters, then territorial sea, then contiguous zone, and then exclusive economic zone,” Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Mao Ning said last week, noting that countries who navigate the strait should do it in accordance with Chinese and international laws.
When the Baden-Württemberg and Frankfurt am Main sailed through the strait last week, German Defense Ministry Boris Pistorius asserted this example of innocent passage was reasonable. “International waters are international waters,” he said. “It’s the shortest and, given the weather conditions, the safest route. So we are passing through.”
In a regular press conference last Friday, Mao said China “firmly” opposes ” any act of provocation under the pretext of freedom of navigation that harms China’s sovereignty and security.”
The People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command took things further, saying “the German side’s behavior increases security risks and sends the wrong signal,” while the Chinese embassy in Berlin said that “the question of Taiwan is not a matter of ‘freedom of navigation,’ but of China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
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