Their commander stated that two German warships are waiting for orders from Berlin to determine if they will be the only German naval vessels to have passed through the disputed Taiwan Strait in decades next month, at the risk to escalation tensions with Beijing.

The German navy will be making its first transit through the disputed Strait since 2002. Other nations, such as Canada, and the U.S. have also sent warships there in recent weeks.

China claims sovereignty over Taiwan and the South China Sea. It also says that it has jurisdiction in the 180km wide waterway that separates the two islands.

Taiwan and the United States claim that the Taiwan Strait has international waters.

In a phone interview, the commander of the Naval Task Group, Rear Admiral Axel Schulz said that the decision had not yet been made. He added that the weather could play a part.

"We show our flag to demonstrate our commitment to the rules based order, peaceful resolution of territorial disputes and free and safe shipping lanes.

The frigate Baden-Wuerttemberg, and the replenishment vessel Frankfurt am Main are planning to stop in Tokyo Tuesday before their possible passage across the strait at the end of next month. The ships will also stop in South Korea, the Philippines and other countries.

The United States, France, Indonesia and Japan will all be participating in these exercises.

In the past four years, Beijing has increased its military activities in the narrow Strait.

Germany, which has a huge chip industry and is a major trading partner with China and Taiwan, has expanded its military presence as it has become increasingly concerned about Beijing's territorial expansion.

For the first time since almost 20 years, a German Warship navigated the South China Sea in 2021.

The Luftwaffe sent fighter jets to Japan last month for the first ever joint exercises there.

Schulz stated that he had no plans for specific security measures if the warships commanded by him crossed the Taiwan Strait. He called it a normal passage, similar to sailing the English Channel or North Sea.

He anticipated that any passage would be closely supervised.

He said that this was a common practice. "I expect to be escorted by the Chinese Navy and possibly the Coastguard or maritime militia," he added. (Reporting and editing by Barbara Lewis; Sabine Siebold)

(source: Reuters)