China slams Germany for sending naval ships through Taiwan Strait

China’s military on Saturday criticized the transit of two German naval ships through the Taiwan Strait, saying it increased security risks.

Beijing’s forces had monitored and warned the vessels, they added.

“The German side’s behavior increases security risks and sends the wrong signal,” Chinese military spokesman Li Xi said, according to media reports. “Troops in the theater are on high alert at all times and will resolutely counter all threats and provocations,” he said.

Beijing claims the democratically governed Taiwan as its own and says the strait is within Chinese jurisdiction.

Germany’s Defense Minister Boris Pistorius defended the transit on Friday.

“International waters are international waters,” Pistorius said during a press conference with Lithuanian Defense Minister Laurynas Kasciunas. “It’s the shortest route and, given the weather conditions, the safest, so we’re going through.”

The Taiwan Strait is a major trade route. Several countries’ military ships use the waterway, including the U.S. But it’s the first time in two decades that Germany’s navy has done so, according to German media reports. The German ships were traveling from South Korea to the Philippines.

When asked about the transit on Friday, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that “there is not much to say … it’s an international waterway.”