German Navy ships in PH

German Ambassador Andreas Pfaffernoschke welcoming German Navy’s frigate Baden-Württemberg and the replenishment ship Frankfurt am Main to Manila, September 16, 2024. | PHOTO: Official X account of Ambassador Andreas Pfaffernoschke / @germanyinphl

MANILA, Philippines — A pair of German Navy ships are making a goodwill visit to Manila for the first time in more than 20 years.

The frigate Baden-Württemberg and the replenishment ship Frankfurt am Main docked at Pier 15 in South Harbor on Monday, just days after they transited the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea before heading to the Philippines, challenging China’s claims to the control of the waterway.

“This is our strong commitment to the international rules-based order and our solidarity with our Filipino friends,” German Ambassador Andreas Pfaffernoschke said on X (formerly Twitter).

READ: US military warns Beijing vs ‘dangerous’ South China Sea moves

Rear Adm. Axel Schulz of the German Navy told reporters their passage in the Taiwan Strait and South China Sea was an exercise of the right of freedom of navigation.

“Obviously, we have come across Chinese warships, but at the end of the day, we passed through, and so we are fully intact,” he said.

The ships left Germany in May and will be in Manila until Thursday, Sept. 19.