A pair of German warships are scheduled to traverse the Taiwan Strait in the coming weeks, according to a Saturday report by Der Spiegel.
Citing defense sources in the Central European country, the Hamburg-based magazine indicated that Beijing will not be informed of the action, as officials in Berlin wish to portray the passage as a normal navigational endeavor in international waters.
The presence of the frigate Baden-Wurttemberg and the supply ship Frankfurt am Main is likely to draw significant criticism from China because the communist nation claims sovereignty over the 110-mile-wide waterway and the adjoining island of Taiwan.
Although other Western navies have made the provocative voyage in recent years, the event will be the first time since 2002 that military vessels from Germany attempted such maneuvers.
The two ships sailed to the region in May to participate in multilateral exercises with France, Italy, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and the United States.
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