China deployed naval and air forces to track and monitor German frigate and supply ships transiting the Taiwan Strait because it “heightened security risk and sent the wrong signals,” according to the Global Times newspaper. A People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Eastern Theater Command spokesperson said on Friday theatre troops remain on high alert and ready to counter “any threats.” The German frigate Baden-Wuerttemberg and supply ship Frankfurt am Main transited the Taiwan Strait from north to south for the first time in two decades despite warnings from China, said officials.
