During her state visit to New Zealand on 4 May 2024, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock stated that the German frigate “Baden-Württemberg” and the navy supply ship “Frankfort am Main” could pass through the Taiwan Strait in the coming weeks.[1]
Baerbock said that the planned route and port visits for the German naval ships would not be made public, but emphasised that the ships would exercise the “right of peaceful passage”, which included passing through the Taiwan Strait. Reports indicate that the Baden-Württemberg and Frankfort am Main are expected to pass through the South China Sea and will enter the Pacific after passing through the Panama Canal. Germany’s last naval tour in the Indo-Pacific took place in late 2021. The Brandenburg-class frigate Bayern was in the region in August-September 2021. At that time, the German frigate, which joined the allies for exercises, did not pass through the Taiwan Strait.[2]
Contrary to the stand-alone “Bayern”, the F125 frigate will benefit from the underway replenishment and support capabilities of a 21,000 tonnes supply ship designed for long-distance and out-of-area operations. Both ship types are capable of supporting the new NH-90 “Sea Lion” maritime service helicopters. However, the German Navy has so far not specified the type and number of helicopters deployed for the voyage.
For Bayern’s voyage in 2021, there were two Mk88A “Super Lynx” on board. Another significant difference from the 2021 voyage is that the general feature of this new voyage is a “round the world”. It has been announced that both ships will pass through the Panama Canal. The fleet will continue to participate in “a series of major exercises” with partners in the Indo-Pacific region. The ports of call indicated by the Chief of Naval Staff include Japan, Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore.
The ships will probably go first to Hawaii after passing through the Panama Canal to participate in RIMPAC 2024 in July. So far, no ship appears on the list of participants in the exercise. The Navy is also scheduled to meet with the Luftwaffe, which sent aircraft to Hawaii. On the other hand, details on the degree of coordination between the German Navy and other European partners are not clear yet. Italy, for example, intends to participate in RIMPAC 2024 and is likely to send a formation around the aircraft carrier “Cavour”. The French Navy is also planning to send the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier “Charles de Gaulle” to the Indo-Pacific this year. Therefore, these developments indicate that Europe will have a significant presence in these waters in the upcoming periods of the year.[3]
According to the Berlin government, China is both a trading partner and a competitor. Because China is a big market and Germany wants to benefit from China’s growing influence in global politics. In other words, Germany-China political relations are shaped by economic relations. Germany is aware of China’s rising power, but it is reluctant to pursue its political policies in alliance with the US. The main reason for this is the trade relations with China. If the tension between China and the US leads to a possible conflict, Germany’s commercial investments or initiatives with the sides would be severely damaged. Thus, Germany endeavors to pursue a policy in line with its own commercial interests.
An important objective of Germany’s strategy is to strengthen international cooperation structures. Especially, Berlin aims to cooperate closely with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) organization and its members. Thus, during Germany’s presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU), EU-ASEAN relations were upgraded to the level of “strategic partnership” in December 2020. Likewise, bilateral relations with Australia have been raised to the level of “strategic partnership”. Moreover, security and foreign policy consultations were held with Australia and Japan.
The frigate Bayern continues its patrol and training mission, including in the Indo-Pacific region, as an active contribution to strengthening international order. In August 2021, Germany joined the “Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Maritime Banditry and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia” (ReCAAP) to enhance the security of maritime routes. With the establishment of the German Regional Information Centre, Germany’s public communication in the region has also been strengthened.[4]
Germany and China had established diplomatic relations in 1972. Since then, German-Chinese relations have developed in many ways. For both Germany and the EU, however, China is at the same time a partner, a competitor and a systemic rival. In 2023, China was once again Germany’s largest trading partner with a trade volume of more than EUR 250 billion (down 15.5 per cent on the previous year). Due to international crises and increasing global challenges, Germany values cooperation and coordination with China. Germany advocates increased mutual cooperation between the EU and China. China, on the other hand, considers Germany a “key partner” in Europe, both economically and politically.[5]
Germany, which does not want its commercial relations with China to deteriorate, has been making an active effort to defuse the tensions between the West and China. In this regard, it would be appropriate to conclude that Germany pursues a neutral policy on the China issue.
[1] “German frigate may transit Taiwan Strait, says foreign minister”, Taiwan News, https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/news/5679649, (Erişim Tarihi: 06.05.2024).
[2] Aynı yer.
[3] “German Navy Chief Talks Indo-Pacific Deployment, Round The World-Sail”, Naval News, https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2024/02/german-navy-indo-pacific-deployment/, (Erişim Tarihi: 06.05.2024).
[4] “One year of the German Government policy guidelines on the Indo‑Pacific region: Taking stock”, Auswaertiges-amt, https://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/en/aussenpolitik/regionaleschwerpunkte/asien/indo-pazifik-leitlinien-fortschritt/2481700, (Erişim Tarihi: 06.05.2024).
[5] “Germany and China: Bilateral relations”, Auswaertiges-amt, https://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/en/aussenpolitik/china/228916, (Erişim Tarihi: 06.05.2024).
