新闻来源：www.abcnews.go.com
原文地址：Germany sails two warships through Taiwan Strait for the first time in two decades
新闻日期：2024-09-13
德国首次在近20年内派两艘军舰穿越台湾海峡
德国防长博尔斯·皮特鲁斯表示，国际水域是国际水域，这是一个简单的信号，我们一直坚持这点。
台湾国防部确认，巴登-符腾堡号和法兰克福号从北向南穿越海峡，并在整个航行过程中情况正常。
中国外交部发言人毛宁表示，我们尊重所有国家的航行权，但坚决反对以航行自由为名的危害中国主权和安全的挑衅行为。
欧盟三年前推出了一项旨在加强亚洲-太平洋地区经济、政治和军事合作的新策略，该策略包括提高海上安全并确保船舶通行的安全。
台湾海峡问题涉及中国的主权和领土完整。
德国海军首次在近20年内穿越台湾海峡，表明柏林计划加强与亚太地区的防务合作。
原文摘要：
Germany sailed two warships through the Taiwan Strait on Friday in its first transit of the disputed waters in more than two decades, as Berlin seeks to increase its defense engagement in the Asia-Pacific region.
China claims the self-governing democratic island of Taiwan as its own, and views such transits as provocative actions.
To challenge China’s claims, the United States and allies including Australia, Canada, Britain and France, have regularly conducted “freedom of navigation” operations there, sailing through the strait to emphasize that it is international waters.
In its last naval deployment to the region in 2021-22, Germany had sought to avoid confrontation with China and attempted a diplomatic balancing act, seeking a port call in China, which Beijing denied, and by not sailing through the Taiwan Strait.
The government was widely criticized for this approach, and on this deployment to the Indo-Pacific, leaders decided to sail through the strait en route from South Korea to the Philippines in a widely-telegraphed move.
“The signal is a very simple one, which we have always maintained and I have always maintained,” German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius told reporters in Berlin. “International waters are international waters.”
Taiwan’s Defense Ministry confirmed in a post on X that the frigate Baden-Wuerttemberg and support ship Frankfurt am Main had transited through the strait from north to south, adding that throughout the sail “the situation remained normal.”
China, which often reacts sharply to American warships transiting the strait, was somewhat muted in its response.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told reporters that for Beijing, “the Taiwan issue is not an issue of freedom of navigation, but an issue related to China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
She said that while China respects the navigation rights of all countries, “we firmly oppose provocations endangering China’s sovereignty and security in the name of freedom of navigation.”
The European Union three years ago embarked on a new strategy for the Asia-Pacific aimed at boosting economic, political and defense ties. Part of that has been focused on improving maritime security and ensuring safe passage through sea lanes.
It comes at a time when China is becoming increasingly assertive in pushing its maritime claims in the region, including on virtually the entire South China Sea and on Taiwan.
China maintains that Taiwan is part of its territory, and President Xi Jinping has not ruled out taking it by force.
China sends warplanes and warships near Taiwan on a near-daily basis in an attempt to intimidate its citizens and degrade the island’s defenses.
In response, Taiwan has extended the period of national military service to one year, building its own submarines and importing sophisticated new equipment from the U.S.
The vast majority of Taiwanese favor the current status of their island, which separated from mainland China amid civil war in 1949.
