Two German warships are visiting the Philippines for the first time in over 20 years after making a notable transit through the Taiwan Strait.

The port call, which Germany said is a reaffirmation of its commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific region and rules-based international order, rhetoric commonly used by the US, as well as a testament to its defense cooperation with the Philippines, is set against the backdrop of flaring tensions between China and the Philippines due to disputes in the South China Sea.