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Business Insider

Two German warships are visiting the Philippines for the first time in more than 20 years after making a notable transit through the Taiwan Strait.
Germany said the port call is a reaffirmation of its commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific region and the rules-based international order – rhetoric commonly used by the United States – as well as a testament to its defence cooperation with the Philippines.
The vessels, the first-in-class frigate Baden-Württemberg and the Berlin-class supply ship Frankfurt am Main, arrived in Manila on Monday and will remain in port until Thursday.

Their visit is set against the backdrop of flaring tensions between China and the Philippines due to disputes in the South China Sea.
Andreas Pfaffernoschke, the German ambassador to the Philippines, said the visit speaks to the ongoing cooperation between the two nations and “underscores how politically significant the Indo-Pacific region has become for Germany”.
In an opinion piece for The Philippine Star, Pfaffernoschke noted that Germany’s visit also showcases its commitment to upholding international law and freedom of navigation, coming at a time “when the international rules-based order in the South China Sea is constantly being challenged”.
Pfaffernoschke said that recent incidents between China and the Philippines have raised concerns about security and stability in the area.

Clashes between China and the Philippines in the South China Sea have been escalating for months. Beijing claims sovereignty over most of the waterway, in defiance of international rulings, and has been increasing efforts to assert its authority in the area.
The Philippines says that China is engaging in aggressive behaviour within its exclusive economic zone. Chinese vessels have been documented ramming and harassing Philippine vessels, as well as blocking them from sailing through Philippine waters.
The port call by the German warships also comes at a particularly tense moment between Berlin and Beijing. While travelling to Manila, the Baden-Württemberg and Frankfurt am Main transited the Taiwan Strait, sparking a backlash.
International waters are international waters
German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius
China claims the strait as its waters, unlike many countries that view it is an international waterway open for freedom of navigation.
“The waters of the Taiwan Strait, from both shores towards the middle of the strait, are China’s internal waters, then territorial sea, then contiguous zone, and then exclusive economic zone,” Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said last week, noting that countries who navigate the strait should do it in accordance with Chinese and international laws.
When the Baden-Württemberg and Frankfurt am Main sailed through the strait last week, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius characterised it as a reasonable example of innocent passage. “International waters are international waters”, he said. “It’s the shortest and, given the weather conditions, the safest route. So we are passing through.”
In a regular press conference on Friday, Mao said China “firmly” opposes “any act of provocation under the pretext of freedom of navigation that harms China’s sovereignty and security”.
The People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theatre Command took things further, saying “the German side’s behaviour increases security risks and sends the wrong signal”, while the Chinese embassy in Berlin said that “the question of Taiwan is not a matter of ‘freedom of navigation’, but of China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity”.
This article was first published by Business Insider


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Sailors on board a German frigate check a machine gun after docking in Manila on Monday. Photo: AFP

The German Navy support ship Frankfurt Am Main prepares to dock in Manila on Monday. Photo: AFP

German sailors on board the Baden-Wurttemberg check a machine gun during a port call in Manila on Monday. Photo: AFP

Uniformed sailors are seen aboard the Frankfurt Am Main as it prepares to dock in Manila. Photo: AFP

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A member of the Philippine coastguard requiring medical care is carried off the BRP Teresa Magbanua after its arrival at a port in Puerto Princesa, Palawan. Photo: Philippine Coast Guard/Handout via AFP

Chinese coastguard personnel attend an oath-taking ceremony on board a ship near Scarborough Shoal in June. Photo: Xinhua

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(The replenishment ship Frankfurt am Main, seen here in northwest Germany in May, is one of two German Navy vessels that sailed through the Taiwan Strait on Friday. Photo: AFP

The replenishment ship Frankfurt am Main, seen here in northwest Germany in May, is one of two German Navy vessels that sailed through the Taiwan Strait on Friday. Photo: AFP

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The German frigate Bayern (Bavaria). Photo: Mohssen Assanimoghaddam/dpa

France’s armed-forces minister Sebastien Lecornu (left) shakes hands with Philippine defence secretary Gilbert Teodoro after signing documents in Manila last month. Photo: AFP

Germany’s frigate Bayern was dispatched to the South China Sea in 2021, the first for a German warship in almost two decades. Photo: dpa

US soldiers launch a M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) in September last year during the Super Garuda Shield joint military exercise held in Indonesia. Photo: AFP

A Philippine Navy helicopter pilot pictured on the deck of the USS Carl Vinson during this month’s joint exercises. Photo: Armed Force of the Philippines / Handout via AFP

Buildings and structures are seen on an artificial island built by China on Subi Reef in the South China Sea in 2022. Observers say the country’s island building in the disputed waterway “marked the beginning of the end of European trust in China”. Photo: Getty Images/TNS

French nuclear submarine Le Vigilant pictured in 2007. While Italy and Germany have sent ships to the region, only France possesses nuclear submarines and is willing to send them on regional missions. Photo: AP

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A member of Chinese coastguard personnel holds an axe as they approach Philippine troops on a resupply mission to the Second Thomas Shoal on June 17. Photo: Armed Forces of the Philippines via AP

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The German navy’s Bayern frigate is seen at Changi Naval Base in Singapore on December 21, as part of Germany’s strategic Indo-Pacific presence. Photo: Bloomberg

Crew members stand on board the German navy Bayern frigate at Changi Naval Base in Singapore on Tuesday. Photo: Bloomberg

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Members of the media disembark from the German navy Bayern frigate in Singapore. Photo: Bloomberg

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Southeast Asia

Germany stepping up its regional naval presence showcases its commitment to upholding international law, Berlin’s envoy says


Germany stepping up its regional naval presence showcases its commitment to upholding international law, Berlin’s envoy says.


German warships in the Philippines: a sign of things to come?

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Germany stepping up its regional naval presence showcases its commitment to upholding international law, Berlin’s envoy says

Germany stepping up its regional naval presence showcases its commitment to upholding international law, Berlin’s envoy says