German navy ships transit Taiwan Strait, provoke Beijing backlash
Two German navy ships passed through the Taiwan Strait on Friday, September 13. It's the first such occurrence in 22 years, which Chinese authorities described as a "provocation." We explain which ships these are and why their presence in this location displeased Beijing so much.
The information about the German navy ships in the waters of the Taiwan Strait was first reported by Reuters. The German Defense Minister, Boris Pistorius, also confirmed it, stating that "international waters are international waters," and the route chosen by the ships was, considering the weather conditions, the safest at that moment.
German navy ships passed through the Taiwan Strait
According to information published by American and Asian sources, they were the frigate "Baden-Wuerttemberg" and the supply ship "Frankfurt am Main". "Baden-Wuerttemberg" is a vessel with a displacement of 7,937 tons, measuring 489 feet in length and 62 feet in width. It can reach a maximum speed of 30 mph and operate within a range of up to 4,600 nautical miles.
In addition to space for the crew, the "Baden-Wuerttemberg" has allocated space for two NH-90 helicopters and room for armaments. These include an Oto Melara 5-inch gun, two 1-inch automatic cannons, and five remotely operated Hitrole-NT stations with 0.5-inch machine guns. Furthermore, the designers of this ship have included eight Harpoon anti-ship missile launchers and two RAM Block II defense systems.
China's angry reactions to NATO ships
The Taiwan Strait is about 81 miles wide. It separates Taiwan's main island from mainland China, and Beijing authorities consider the island a breakaway province and treat this strait as internal waters.
"The German side's behaviour increases security risks and sends incorrect signals," said a Chinese army spokesman.
In an article on the Nikkei Asia portal, it was noted that "China's expansionist actions in recent years have prompted Western powers to assert their presence in the Indo-Pacific to protect allies and maintain the rules-based international order."
Chinese authorities have also labeled the warships of the United States, France, or the United Kingdom passing through the Taiwan Strait as "provocateurs." The situation with the German ships is particularly interesting because their navy was last present in these waters in 2002.
