By Alexander Ratz and Yimou Lee
BERLIN/TAIPEI (Reuters) – Two German navy ships including a frigate sailed through the sensitive Taiwan Strait on Friday in the first such transit in two decades and at a time of soaring tensions between Taipei and Beijing.
China, which claims democratically governed Taiwan as its own, says only it exercises sovereignty and jurisdiction over the strait. Both the United States and Taiwan say the strait – a major trade route through which about half of global container ships pass – is an international waterway.
Speaking in Berlin, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said he could confirm the passage of the frigate “Baden-Württemberg” and supply ship Frankfurt am Main.
“International waters are international waters. It’s the shortest and, given the weather conditions, the safest route. So we are passing through,” he said.
Taiwan’s defence ministry declined immediate comment.
A security source familiar with the situation said the ships would likely fully clear the strait on Saturday.
Speaking in Beijing before the transit was confirmed on Friday, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said it condemned excuses for infringing China’s sovereignty.
“We firmly oppose provocations and endangering of China’s sovereignty and security under the banner of ‘freedom of navigation’,” Mao Ning told a regular news conference.
U.S. warships sail through the strait around once every two months, drawing the ire of Beijing, and some U.S. allies like Canada and Britain have also made occasional transits.
A second security source, speaking like the first on condition of anonymity given the sensitivity of the situation, said the ships sailed in a southerly direction through the strait.
The sailing was a “clear and loud” statement made by Berlin that it is standing with its allies to uphold international rules, the source added.
China, which has never renounced the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control, has over the past five years stepped up military activities around the island, including staging war games.
Taiwan’s government rejects China’s sovereignty claims and says only the island’s people can decide their future.
(Reporting by Alexander Ratz and Yimou Lee; Additional reporting by Beijing newsroom, and Ben Blanchard in Taipei; Editing by Edwina Gibbs)
