China Issues Warship Warning to NATO Member

China warned NATO member Germany on Monday not to send warships to a strategic waterway separating China and Taiwan for the first time since 2002, claiming this would be an interference with its internal affairs.

Berlin has yet to decide whether frigate Baden-Wuerttemberg and replenishment ship Frankfurt am Main, which are currently in the Pacific, will transit the 110-mile-wide Taiwan Strait in September, Reuters cited German Rear Admiral Axel Schulz, as saying on Monday.

When asked about the possibility of the German navy passing through the strait during a press conference in Beijing on the same day, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning stressed that “the Taiwan question is China’s internal affair” and opposing Taiwan’s independence was the key to peace and stability in cross-strait relations.

“China opposes attempts to undermine China’s territorial sovereignty and security in the name of freedom of navigation,” said Mao.

China views the self-ruled Taiwan as a breakaway island province, and it has refused to renounce the use of force to resolve the Taiwan issue. Beijing also claimed it has jurisdiction over the Taiwan Strait while the United States and its allies advocate the narrow waterway is international waters.

The U.S. military routinely transits the Taiwan Strait, the most recent occasion having been by destroyer USS Halsey in May.

Canada, another NATO member, sent frigate HMCS Montreal to the strait on July 31. Bill Blair, the country’s defense minister, said this reaffirmed Ottawa’s commitment to a free, open, and inclusive Indo-Pacific. The Chinese military claimed it would respond to threats and provocations.

Schulz told Reuters that if his warships transit the Taiwan Strait, they will not take any specific security measures. However, he added that he was expecting the Chinese navy, coast guard, or maritime militia to shadow the German naval task group during any transit.

“We are showing our flag here to demonstrate that we stand by our partners and friends, our commitment to the rules-based order, the peaceful solution of territorial conflicts and free and secure shipping lanes,” the German commander added.

The Baden-Wuerttemberg and Frankfurt am Main arrived in the Japanese capital of Tokyo on Tuesday. Any transit of the Taiwan Strait would likely take place between stops in U.S. allies South Korea and the Philippines.

After departing Germany, the two warships crossed the Atlantic Ocean and visited New York City for the Fleet Week on May 22. They later entered the Pacific Ocean via the Panama Canal and arrived at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii on June 26 to take part in Exercise Rim of the Pacific.

The Baden-Wuerttemberg is a 7,200-ton frigate armed with a main gun, as well as anti-ship and anti-aircraft missiles. The Frankfurt am Main is one of the largest ships in the German navy, with a displacement of 20,200 tons, capable of supplying fuel, fresh water, provisions and ammunition.