Germany navy chief vows commitment to Indo-Pacific as warship to sail South China Sea
- Vice Admiral Kay-Achim Schonbach said the frigate’s dispatch was to show support for Japan, the US and other partners
- The Bayern will travel through the South China Sea, where China is increasingly pressing its territorial claims, to demonstrate its right to freedom of passage
The frigate arrived in Tokyo on Friday, becoming the first German warship to visit Japan in nearly 20 years.
It conducted joint exercises with other militaries along the way, including two days of exercises with a Japanese destroyer in the Pacific Ocean, German officials said.
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Beginning in mid-November, it will monitor activities by North Korean ships for three weeks, including possible ship-to-ship transfers of banned cargoes, under a UN Security Council resolution.
It is Germany’s first time to participate in the mission, which started in 2018 and has been joined by New Zealand, Australia, the US, Canada, Britain, France and Japan.
The frigate left Germany in August as part of the country’s recent shift to the Indo-Pacific region and follows similar moves by other European countries including Britain, France and the Netherlands. Warships from those countries recently conducted joint naval exercises in the East and South China seas.
Schonbach said the Bayern’s visit is the beginning of a long-term commitment to the region by Germany.
It plans to dispatch military aircraft next year and a fleet of frigates and supply ships within two to three years, he said.
Japanese officials say Chinese vessels routinely violate Japanese territorial waters around the islands in the East China Sea, sometimes threatening fishing boats.