(File photo provided by Dondi Tawatao/Getty Images)
Due to growing concerns about China’s territorial ambitions, Germany sent warships to the South China Sea for the first time in nearly two decades on Monday to expand its military presence in the region along with other Western countries.
China claims sovereignty over the South China Sea and has established military outposts on artificial islands containing gas fields and fisheries-rich waters.
In order to demonstrate its force on Chinese territory, the U.S. Navy often conducts so-called “freedom of navigation” operations, and its ships are close to some disputed islands.
China, in turn, opposes the mission of the United States, saying that they do not help promote peace or stability.
Washington has placed anti-China at the core of its national security policy and seeks to unite partners against what it calls Beijing’s increasingly tough economic and foreign policies.
Berlin officials have stated that the German navy will adhere to a common trade route. The frigate is also not expected to cross the Taiwan Strait. This is another routine US activity that Beijing has condemned.
Tightrope walking
Nevertheless, Berlin has made it clear that the purpose of this visit is to emphasize the fact that Germany does not accept China’s territorial claims.
With China becoming Berlin’s most important trading partner, Germany is walking a tightrope between its security and economic interests. German exports there helped to mitigate the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on Europe’s largest economy.
The German Minister of Defense Annegrett Kramp-Karenbauer went to Wilhelmshaven for the seven-month voyage of the Bayern frigate, which will go to Australia, Japan, South Korea and Vietnam.
The ship is expected to cross the Vietnam Sea in mid-December, becoming the first German warship to cross the area since 2002.
Kramp-Karenbauer said: “We hope that existing laws are respected, sea routes can be freely navigated, an open society is protected, and trade follows fair rules.”
Countries including the United Kingdom, France, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand have also been expanding their activities in the Pacific to counter China’s influence.
