German warship to cross South China Sea for first time since 2002 | Al Jazeera

A German frigate will set sail for Asia in August and, on its return journey, become the first German warship to cross the South China Sea since 2002, senior government officials said on Wednesday.

The ship will not pass within what officials called the “12-nautical-mile”, officials in the foreign and defence ministries added, in a reference to contested areas of the sea, which China claims almost in its entirety.

The United Kingdom is also sending its navy to the region, announcing on Saturday that HMS Queen Elizabeth will set sail on its maiden voyage in May this year and is expected to reach eastern Asia by the late northern hemisphere summer.

China has established military outposts on artificial islands across the South China Sea, which is also claimed by Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, Taiwan and the Philippines, which took China to the international court over its claims.

In 2016, the Court of Arbitration at The Hague ruled there was no legal basis for China’s claim. China refused to participate in the case and later dismissed the ruling as “null and void”.

The US regularly conducts “freedom of navigation” operations in which their vessels pass close by to some of the islands, asserting freedom of access to international waterways...