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German General Eberhard Zorn said Wednesday that the Bundeswehr will send warships to the Indo-Pacific and join allies in exercises as China intensifies operations around Taiwan.
“We don’t want to provoke anyone with our presence, but rather send a strong sign of solidarity with our allies,” Zorn told Reuters. “We support the freedom of navigation and the safeguarding of international standards”.
Germany, which was thrifty with military spending in the second half of the 20th century, pledged to increase defense spending to more than 2% of its total GDP in February after Russia invaded Ukraine.
Eberhard Zorn, Bundeswehr Inspector General, attends a press conference on Bundeswehr-backed coronavirus containment measures in Berlin, Germany, on March 19, 2020.
(Michael Sohn / Pool via REUTERS)
Chancellor Olaf Scholz said last week that Germany’s arms stock has run out due to the shipment of arms to Ukraine, but on Monday he pledged to support Kiev “for as long as necessary”.
SEN. BLACKBURN IN TAIWAN: CHINA’S “BULLYING” TACTICS MUST STOP, THE US MUST STOP THE CCP’S “AGGRESSION”
Now, the country is also turning its attention to China, which in recent weeks has sent warplanes across the midline of the Taiwan Strait and launched missiles on the island.
The German flag flutters on the German Navy supply ship Elbe during the arrival for the NATO exercise Baltic MCM Squadex 22 in the port of Riga, Latvia on March 15, 2022. Photo taken on March 15, 2022.
(REUTERS / Ints Kalnins)
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Two US Navy warships crossed the Taiwan Strait on Sunday, a practice that has been routine in recent years but now comes with heightened tension following House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan.
Zorn told Reuters that the German military will also send troops to Australia for military exercises next year in an effort to “consolidate our presence in the region.”
