Maroc - NEWSDELIVERS.COM - A La Une - 20/Aug 04:46

German Warships Await Orders to Cross Taiwan Strait

Two German warships are awaiting orders from Berlin to determine whether they will become the first German naval vessels in decades to sail through the Taiwan Strait next month, their commanders said. The move has drawn a rebuke from Beijing. While the US and other countries, including Canada, have sent warships through the narrow strait in recent weeks, this is the first time the German navy has sailed through the strait since 2002. China claims sovereignty over democratically-ruled Taiwan, saying it has jurisdiction over the nearly 180-kilometer-wide waterway that separates the two sides and is part of the South China Sea. Taiwan fiercely opposes China's sovereignty claim and says only the island's people can determine its future. The Taiwan Strait is a major trade route through which nearly half of global container ships pass. Both the US and Taiwan consider the Taiwan Strait to be international waters. “A decision has not been taken,” naval task force commander Rear Admiral Axel Schulz told the news agency. Reutersin a telephone interview. He added that weather would play a role in the decision. “We raise our flag here to show that we support our partners and friends, our commitment to the rules-based order, …