German Navy port call in Manila: We stand firm in protecting the international rules-based order

For the first time in over 20 years, two ships of the German Navy will visit Manila starting tomorrow, Sept. 16. They will stay in Manila port until Thursday, Sept. 19. We are expecting the frigate Baden-Württemberg and the replenishment ship Frankfurt am Main as part of the Indo-Pacific Deployment 2024 (IPD 24). Both ships have left Germany back in May 2024. This visit is not only a testament to the enhanced defense cooperation between Germany and the Philippines, but also underscores how politically significant the Indo-Pacific region has become for Germany.

The IPD is the German Navy’s most important endeavor of defense diplomacy in 2024. It serves it in particular through close and confidence-building cooperation with strategic partners in the Indo-Pacific region, like the Philippines. While emphasizing Germany’s global commitment for an international rules-based order, it also represents our pledge to ensuring free and secure shipping routes and enhanced maritime security cooperation. This pledge was outlined in Germany’s Indo-Pacific Strategy, released in 2020, which stresses the importance of maintaining free and open sea lanes in the region. It has been reaffirmed in the 2023 German National Security Strategy.

This stance is not only true for the region, but worldwide. Within the last years, the flaring-up of conflicts all over the world has shown that we need to remain committed globally, if we want to stand firm for international law and the rules-based order. We have to be strong advocates, at home and abroad. Furthermore, this premise encompasses the Indo-Pacific and the South China Sea, and particularly, the West Philippine Sea. The presence of our Navy ships in the Indo-Pacific underlines this stance: Germany is ready to stand up for UNCLOS, for international law and to uphold the right to free navigation. It underlines Germany’s commitment to a stronger security engagement in the Indo-Pacific. In addition, the German Navy aims to improve its operational readiness by training crews and junior officers through challenging joint exercises with other nations.

For Germany as the third biggest trading nation in the world and a key trading partner to all Asian countries, free and safe shipping routes are of utmost importance. It is exactly for this reason, why Germany stays not only economically and politically involved in the Indo-Pacific, but also stands ready with its Navy to uphold the rules-based international order.

Maintaining the international rules-based order in the South China Sea

The port call of the two German Navy vessels in Manila comes at a time when the international rules-based order in the South China Sea is constantly being challenged. In recent weeks, we have seen a worrying number of incidents between China and Philippines in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of the Philippines, on sea and in the air. Such dangerous clashes are not only a threat to security and stability of the region, but are putting human lives at risk. Germany has repeatedly expressed its concern about these incidents and will continue to do so.

One thing is crystal clear: the legal issues underlying the disputes in the EEZ of the Philippines have been finally resolved. In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration, the internationally agreed arbitration tribunal constituted under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), has made a clear ruling on this matter. This arbitral award of 2016 is legally binding on the parties. Germany stands with the Philippines. Accepting this arbitral award and respecting UNCLOS by all parties concerned is essential for lasting peace and stability in the region. Germany’s Defense Minister Pistorius recently reaffirmed this clearly during his visit to Manila in August: “This ruling remains valid, without any exceptions. It is our obligation to strengthen maritime borders, and we are living up to it.”

Germany’s global commitment

The IPD 24 is proof of Germany’s intention to engage closer and more effectively with our strategic partners in the Indo-Pacific, especially in the field of defense. This is why Germany and the Philippines are envisaging to conclude a defense cooperation agreement which will encompass, among others, closer cooperation in the field of armament and training. The IPD 24 shows that the cooperation in the field of training of crews and cadets is being implemented.

While in Manila, the German ships will conduct a passing exercise together with the Philippine Navy. All this aims to build and strengthen long-lasting relations between the German and Philippine armed forces. As German Federal Defense Minister Pistorius put it during his visit in August: “We want to learn from each other.” In September, we will see the German and the Philippine Navy navigating side by side, breathing new life into this promise.

2024 is a special year in German-Philippine diplomatic relations, marking the 70th anniversary of partnership between our countries this October. A partnership which, over the course of seven decades, has been substantiated by close cooperation across the fields of trade, development cooperation, human rights protection, culture and now, defense cooperation.

Most recently, the visits of President Marcos Jr. to Germany in March and the visits of German Federal Foreign Minister Baerbock in January and Minister Pistorius to the Philippines in August are a clear demonstration of our flourishing relations, which are stronger than ever before.

Germany will remain committed to promote respect for international law in the Indo-Pacific and will remain a firm and reliable partner for all countries in the region. This is what the IPD 24 stands for. Our pledge to build closer ties with the Philippines and to stand up for international law is valid long-term. And we are living up to it.

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Andreas Pfaffernoschke is the Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to the Philippines.