Germany sends warship to South China Sea for first time since 2002
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BERLIN • A German warship sailed into the South China Sea yesterday for the first time in almost 20 years, a move that sees Berlin joining other Western states in expanding military presence in the region amid growing alarm over China's territorial ambitions.
China claims almost the entire South China Sea as its own, despite an international tribunal ruling that Beijing has no legal basis for these claims, and has built military outposts on artificial islands in the waters which contain gas fields and rich fishing.
The German navy vessel began a transit through the South China Sea on its way to Singapore, in a journey that is expected to take several days, said a spokesman for the Defence Ministry in Berlin.
The frigate Bayern is the first German warship since 2002 to cross the South China Sea, waters that 40 per cent of Europe's foreign trade flows through.
The United States Navy, in a show of force against the Chinese territorial claims, regularly conducts so-called "freedom of navigation" operations in which its vessels pass near some of the contested islands.
China, in turn, objects to the US missions, saying they do not help promote peace or stability.
Washington has put countering China at the heart of its national security policy and seeks to rally partners against what it says are Beijing's increasingly coercive economic and foreign policies.
Officials in Berlin have said the German navy will stick to common trade routes. The frigate is not expected to sail through the Taiwan Strait, another regular US activity condemned by Beijing.
Nevertheless, the previous German government made it clear that the mission serves to stress the fact that Germany does not accept China's territorial claims.
Germany is walking a tightrope between its security and economic interests as China has become Berlin's most important trading partner. German exports there have helped mitigate the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on Europe's biggest economy.
Countries including Britain, France, Japan, Australia and New Zealand have also been expanding their activities in the Pacific to counter China's influence.
REUTERS