A German warship and an accompanying navy vessel entered the Taiwan Strait on Friday, despite protests from China, which claims sovereignty over Taiwan and asserts influence over the body of water.

"International waters are international waters," said German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius on Friday at a press conference with his Lithuanian counterpart Laurynas Kasciunas.

"It's the shortest route and, given the weather conditions, the safest, so we're going through."

Before the German vessels entered the strait, which separates China from the island of Taiwan, a Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman condemned what she called an excuse to infringe China's sovereignty.

"We firmly oppose provocations and endangering of China's sovereignty and security under the banner of 'freedom of navigation,'" Mao Ning told a press conference in Beijing.

Is Germany allowed to use the Taiwan Strait?

The German "Baden-Württemberg" frigate and the "Frankfurt am Main" replenishment ship, which German defense officials say are traveling south from South Korea to the Philippines, are not the first western naval vessels to pass through the Taiwan Strait.

US warships sail through the strait around once every two months, and US allies including Canada and the United Kingdom have also made occasional transits.

The use of the strait angers Beijing, but it is officially an international waterway and major trade route through which around half of global container ships pass.

Taiwan's foreign ministry said earlier this week that it "welcomes and affirms Germany, along with the US, Canada and the Netherlands, for taking actions to demonstrate the legal status of the Taiwan Strait as international waters, while defending freedom of navigation and maintaining regional peace at the same time."

mf/kb (dpa, Reuters)