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German frigate deployed to Indo-Pacific mission, to pass South China Sea

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Agence France-Presse

<p>BERLIN - Germany dispatched a frigate to the Indo-Pacific region Monday for the first time in almost 20 years, a move that could put strain on Berlin&#x27;s delicate relationship with Beijing. </p><p>The &quot;Bayern&quot; sailed from Wilhelmshaven harbor with more than 200 soldiers on board for a six-month mission to strengthen Germany&#x27;s presence in the region that will take it to Singapore, South Korea, and Australia. </p><p>Crucially, it will also pass through the South China Sea, a flashpoint of tensions between China, its neighbors in the region and their western allies such as the United States.</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="de">Blickpunkt Indo-Pacific Deployment 2021: Mehr über die <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/IndoPazifik?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#IndoPazifik</a>-Fahrt der <a href="https://twitter.com/FregatteBayern?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FregatteBayern</a> in den nächsten Monaten gibt es hier ▶️ <a href="https://t.co/S6XLjm7fU8">https://t.co/S6XLjm7fU8</a> <a href="https://t.co/5gkkf6RdBz">pic.twitter.com/5gkkf6RdBz</a></p>— Deutsche Marine (@deutschemarine) <a href="https://twitter.com/deutschemarine/status/1422186871074050048?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 2, 2021</a></blockquote><div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charSet="utf-8" type="text/javascript"></script></div><p>&quot;The message is clear: we are standing up for our values and interests together with our partners and allies,&quot; said Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer ahead of the ship&#x27;s departure.</p><p>&quot;For our partners in the Indo-Pacific, it is a reality that sea routes are no longer open and secure, and that claims to territory are being applied by the law of might is right,&quot; she added.</p><p>Yet Kramp-Karrenbauer insisted the mission was not directed against any particular country, and noted that Germany had offered to visit a Chinese harbor &quot;in order to maintain dialogue&quot;.</p><p>The ship will also take part in the EU&#x27;s Atalanta anti-piracy mission in East Africa and help monitor UN sanctions against North Korea. </p><p>&quot;The Indo-Pacific is where the shape of the international order of the future will be decided. We want to help shape it and take responsibility for the rules-based international order,&quot; Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said Sunday.</p><p>Beijing&#x27;s actions in the South China Sea have long fueled tensions with the West, with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin emphasizing last week that China&#x27;s claims have &quot;no basis in international law&quot;. </p><p>China claims almost all of the resource-rich sea, through which trillions of dollars in shipping trade passes annually, and dismisses competing claims from Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/spotlight/07/26/21/south-china-sea-calls-to-honor-hague-ruling-5-years-on-but-beijing-digs-in">South China Sea: Calls to honor Hague ruling 5 years on, but Beijing digs in</a></li></ul><p>Germany, a key US ally, is usually reticent to take a military role on the international stage, and has often urged a less confrontational relationship with Beijing. </p><p>Yet Berlin&#x27;s tone on China is changing, with an investment deal signed in 2020 since shelved, and new German government guidelines published in 2020 to strengthen ties with South-East Asian partners.</p><p>In March, the EU also sanctioned four Chinese officials over suspected human rights violations in China&#x27;s far western region of Xinjiang.</p><p>But Europe&#x27;s biggest economy&#x27;s relationship with Beijing is also complicated by strong business ties to China. </p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/overseas/07/26/21/with-eye-on-china-pentagon-chief-heads-to-southeast-asia-including-philippines">With eye on China, Pentagon chief heads to Southeast Asia, including Philippines</a></li></ul><p>Germany&#x27;s biggest automaker Volkswagen operates in Xinjiang province, despite the mass incarceration of the Uyghur minority -- a campaign that Washington describes as genocide.</p><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO</strong></div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=1610760" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div>

<p>BERLIN - Germany dispatched a frigate to the Indo-Pacific region Monday for the first time in almost 20 years, a move that could put strain on Berlin's delicate relationship with Beijing. </p>

BERLIN - Germany dispatched a frigate to the Indo-Pacific region Monday for the first time in almost 20 years, a move that could put strain on Berlin's delicate relationship with Beijing.