German frigate’s forthcoming transit comes as Western allies step up ‘freedom of navigation’ passages in disputed sea
German Sachsen-class frigate the Hamburg (Bundeswehr photo)
TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A German frigate will traverse the South China Sea this summer for the first time since 2002, German officials confirmed Tuesday (March 1).
Officials in the country’s defense and foreign ministries told Reuters that the frigate, scheduled to embark on a trip to Asia in August, will traverse the South China Sea on the return leg of its journey.
The voyage will mark the first time in 19 years that a German warship has passed through the contested area and is being viewed as a “freedom of navigation” operation. China claims much of the South China Sea, where it has built and militarized artificial islands, as its own and has overlapping claims with Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei, and Taiwan.
Japanese Defense Minister Kishi Nobuo in December invited Germany to send a naval vessel to join Japan’s Self-Defense Forces in drills, saying that sailing through the sea en route would aid international efforts to maintain the right of transit amid Chinese expansion. However, German officials emphasized Tuesday that the frigate will stay outside the “12-nautical-mile” waters that that claimants of disputed territories would recognize as their own.
The news follows recent similar passages by the U.S. and French navies as the Biden administration calls for a multilateral front against Chinese assertiveness in the region. The U.K., Australia, and Japan are reportedly planning Pacific exercises that could also bring them into the South China Sea later this year.
Chinese Communist Party tabloid the Global Times last week accused the U.S. of “attempting to contain China by rallying its Western allies to the South China Sea” but declared the increased naval presence of these countries to be futile. “Nevertheless, the [People’s Liberation Army] will be prepared,” it said.
I am an attorney in the Washington DC area, with a Doctor of Law in the US, attended the master program at the National School of Administration of Việt Nam, and graduated from Sài Gòn University Law School. I aso studied philosophy at the School of Letters in Sài Gòn.
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I have worked as an anti-trust attorney for Federal Trade Commission and a litigator for a fortune-100 telecom company in Washington DC.
I have taught law courses for legal professionals in Việt Nam and still counsel VN government agencies on legal matters.
I have founded and managed businesses for me and my family, both law and non-law.
I have published many articles on national newspapers and radio stations in Việt Nam.
In 1989 I was one of the founding members of US-VN Trade Council, working to re-establish US-VN relationship.
Since the early 90's, I have established and managed VNFORUM and VNBIZ forum on VN-related matters; these forums are the subject of a PhD thesis by Dr. Caroline Valverde at UC-Berkeley and her book Transnationalizing Viet Nam.
I translate poetry and my translation of "A Request at Đồng Lộc Cemetery" is now engraved on a stone memorial at Đồng Lộc National Shrine in VN.
I study and teach the Bible and Buddhism. In 2009 I founded and still manage dotchuoinon.com on positive thinking and two other blogs on Buddhism.
In 2015 a group of friends and I founded website CVD - Conversations on Vietnam Development (cvdvn.net).
I study the art of leadership with many friends who are religious, business and government leaders from many countries.
I have written these books, published by Phu Nu Publishing House in Hanoi:
"Positive Thinking to Change Your Life", in Vietnamese (TƯ DUY TÍCH CỰC Thay Đổi Cuộc Sống) (Oct. 2011)
"10 Core Values for Success" (10 Giá trị cốt lõi của thành công) (Dec. 2013)
"Live a Life Worth Living" (Sống Một Cuộc Đời Đáng Sống) (Oct. 2023)
I practice Jiu Jitsu and Tai Chi for health, and play guitar as a hobby, usually accompanying my wife Trần Lê Túy Phượng, aka singer Linh Phượng.
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CVD 