PHOTO COLLECTION: AP Top Photos of the Day, Tuesday August 27, 2024

ENT

PHOTO COLLECTION: AP Top Photos of the Day, Tuesday August 27, 2024

2024-08-28 09:08 Last Updated At：09:11

This is a collection of photos chosen by AP photo editors.

Click to Gallery

The sun sets behind the New York skyline during the first round of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

This is a collection of photos chosen by AP photo editors.

This photo released by the Zoo Berlin on Tuesday, Aug. 27, shows a newborn panda at the Zoo in Berlin. (© 2024 Zoo Berlin via AP)

Indigenous people march to protest the violence and drug trafficking affecting their region, in Bogota, Colombia, Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)

Alejandro Tabilo, of Chile, serves to David Goffin, of Belgium, during the first round of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)

The ground crew covers the field as rain pours down during the first inning of a baseball game between the Texas Rangers and Chicago White Sox, Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)

Bonnie, a seven-month-old dachshund, licks Alexandra Maxwell's face as they a protest against Gov. Ron DeSantis' plan to develop state parks with business ventures such as golf courses, pickleball courts and large hotels, during a demonstration at Oleta River State Park, Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024, in North Miami Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

Newspaper headlines announcing the 1973 assassination of Juan Ignacio Rucci are projected on a screen during an event in Congress marking International Day of Remembrance and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Gustavo Garello)

Kouri Richins, a Utah mother of three who wrote a children's book about coping with grief after her husband's death and was later accused of fatally poisoning him, looks on during a hearing Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024, in Park City, Utah. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, Pool)

A couple sit in front of their house destroyed by a Russian strike in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Andriy Andriyenko)

Athlete Kaewsri Charkorn, of Thailand, puts on his goggles with his foot, before swimming at a training session ahead of the 2024 Paralympics, Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

Janaina Silva watches over her four-year-old son Murillo after an epileptic seizure at her parents' home in Guaruja, Brazil, Monday, July 8, 2024. To lessen and shorten his seizures, Murillo takes a steady dose of liquid cannabidiol or CBD, that Silva acquires for free through Sao Paulo state’s public health system. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)

In this photo released by Soroka Medical Center on Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024, Qaid Farhan Alkadi, 52, who was held hostage by Hamas militants in Gaza lies on a bed of the Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba, Israel. (Soroka Medical Center via AP)

Palestinians mourn relatives killed in the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip, at a hospital in Deir al-Balah, Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Protestors against the rape and murder of a resident doctor at a government hospital earlier this month, runs as police fire tear gas, in Kolkata, India, Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Bikas Das)

Revelers pay respect before forming human pyramids to reach an overhanging earthen pot while celebrating Hindu festival Janmashtami, the festival that marks the birth of Hindu God Krishna, in Mumbai, India, Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024.(AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

More Images

This is a collection of photos chosen by AP photo editors.

This photo released by the Zoo Berlin on Tuesday, Aug. 27, shows a newborn panda at the Zoo in Berlin. (© 2024 Zoo Berlin via AP)

Indigenous people march to protest the violence and drug trafficking affecting their region, in Bogota, Colombia, Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)

Alejandro Tabilo, of Chile, serves to David Goffin, of Belgium, during the first round of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)

The ground crew covers the field as rain pours down during the first inning of a baseball game between the Texas Rangers and Chicago White Sox, Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)

Bonnie, a seven-month-old dachshund, licks Alexandra Maxwell's face as they a protest against Gov. Ron DeSantis' plan to develop state parks with business ventures such as golf courses, pickleball courts and large hotels, during a demonstration at Oleta River State Park, Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024, in North Miami Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

Newspaper headlines announcing the 1973 assassination of Juan Ignacio Rucci are projected on a screen during an event in Congress marking International Day of Remembrance and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Gustavo Garello)

Kouri Richins, a Utah mother of three who wrote a children's book about coping with grief after her husband's death and was later accused of fatally poisoning him, looks on during a hearing Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024, in Park City, Utah. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, Pool)

A couple sit in front of their house destroyed by a Russian strike in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Andriy Andriyenko)

Athlete Kaewsri Charkorn, of Thailand, puts on his goggles with his foot, before swimming at a training session ahead of the 2024 Paralympics, Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

Janaina Silva watches over her four-year-old son Murillo after an epileptic seizure at her parents' home in Guaruja, Brazil, Monday, July 8, 2024. To lessen and shorten his seizures, Murillo takes a steady dose of liquid cannabidiol or CBD, that Silva acquires for free through Sao Paulo state’s public health system. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)

In this photo released by Soroka Medical Center on Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024, Qaid Farhan Alkadi, 52, who was held hostage by Hamas militants in Gaza lies on a bed of the Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba, Israel. (Soroka Medical Center via AP)

Palestinians mourn relatives killed in the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip, at a hospital in Deir al-Balah, Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Protestors against the rape and murder of a resident doctor at a government hospital earlier this month, runs as police fire tear gas, in Kolkata, India, Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Bikas Das)

Revelers pay respect before forming human pyramids to reach an overhanging earthen pot while celebrating Hindu festival Janmashtami, the festival that marks the birth of Hindu God Krishna, in Mumbai, India, Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024.(AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

Germany sails two warships through Taiwan Strait for the first time in two decades

2024-09-13 21:19 Last Updated At：21:21

BANGKOK (AP) — Germany sailed two warships through the Taiwan Strait on Friday in its first transit of the disputed waters in more than two decades, as Berlin seeks to increase its defense engagement in the Asia-Pacific region.

China claims the self-governing democratic island of Taiwan as its own, and views such transits as provocative actions.

To challenge China's claims, the United States and allies including Australia, Canada, Britain and France, have regularly conducted “freedom of navigation” operations there, sailing through the strait to emphasize that it is international waters.

In its last naval deployment to the region in 2021-22, Germany had sought to avoid confrontation with China and attempted a diplomatic balancing act, seeking a port call in China, which Beijing denied, and by not sailing through the Taiwan Strait.

The government was widely criticized for this approach, and on this deployment to the Indo-Pacific, leaders decided to sail through the strait en route from South Korea to the Philippines in a widely-telegraphed move.

“The signal is a very simple one, which we have always maintained and I have always maintained,” German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius told reporters in Berlin. “International waters are international waters.”

Taiwan's Defense Ministry confirmed in a post on X that the frigate Baden-Wuerttemberg and support ship Frankfurt am Main had transited through the strait from north to south, adding that throughout the sail "the situation remained normal."

China, which often reacts sharply to American warships transiting the strait, was somewhat muted in its response.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told reporters that for Beijing, “the Taiwan issue is not an issue of freedom of navigation, but an issue related to China's sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

She said that while China respects the navigation rights of all countries, “we firmly oppose provocations endangering China’s sovereignty and security in the name of freedom of navigation.”

The European Union three years ago embarked on a new strategy for the Asia-Pacific aimed at boosting economic, political and defense ties. Part of that has been focused on improving maritime security and ensuring safe passage through sea lanes.

It comes at a time when China is becoming increasingly assertive in pushing its maritime claims in the region, including on virtually the entire South China Sea and on Taiwan.

China maintains that Taiwan is part of its territory, and President Xi Jinping has not ruled out taking it by force.

China sends warplanes and warships near Taiwan on a near-daily basis in an attempt to intimidate its citizens and degrade the island’s defenses.

In response, Taiwan has extended the period of national military service to one year, building its own submarines and importing sophisticated new equipment from the U.S.

The vast majority of Taiwanese favor the current status of their island, which separated from mainland China amid civil war in 1949.

PHOTO COLLECTION: AP Top Photos of the Day, Tuesday August 27, 2024

ENT

PHOTO COLLECTION: AP Top Photos of the Day, Tuesday August 27, 2024

This is a collection of photos chosen by AP photo editors.

This photo released by the Zoo Berlin on Tuesday, Aug. 27, shows a newborn panda at the Zoo in Berlin. (© 2024 Zoo Berlin via AP)

Indigenous people march to protest the violence and drug trafficking affecting their region, in Bogota, Colombia, Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)

Alejandro Tabilo, of Chile, serves to David Goffin, of Belgium, during the first round of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)

The ground crew covers the field as rain pours down during the first inning of a baseball game between the Texas Rangers and Chicago White Sox, Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)

Newspaper headlines announcing the 1973 assassination of Juan Ignacio Rucci are projected on a screen during an event in Congress marking International Day of Remembrance and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Gustavo Garello)

Kouri Richins, a Utah mother of three who wrote a children's book about coping with grief after her husband's death and was later accused of fatally poisoning him, looks on during a hearing Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024, in Park City, Utah. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, Pool)

A couple sit in front of their house destroyed by a Russian strike in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Andriy Andriyenko)

Athlete Kaewsri Charkorn, of Thailand, puts on his goggles with his foot, before swimming at a training session ahead of the 2024 Paralympics, Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

In this photo released by Soroka Medical Center on Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024, Qaid Farhan Alkadi, 52, who was held hostage by Hamas militants in Gaza lies on a bed of the Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba, Israel. (Soroka Medical Center via AP)

Palestinians mourn relatives killed in the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip, at a hospital in Deir al-Balah, Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Protestors against the rape and murder of a resident doctor at a government hospital earlier this month, runs as police fire tear gas, in Kolkata, India, Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Bikas Das)

Revelers pay respect before forming human pyramids to reach an overhanging earthen pot while celebrating Hindu festival Janmashtami, the festival that marks the birth of Hindu God Krishna, in Mumbai, India, Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024.(AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

This is a collection of photos chosen by AP photo editors.

This photo released by the Zoo Berlin on Tuesday, Aug. 27, shows a newborn panda at the Zoo in Berlin. (© 2024 Zoo Berlin via AP)

Indigenous people march to protest the violence and drug trafficking affecting their region, in Bogota, Colombia, Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)

Alejandro Tabilo, of Chile, serves to David Goffin, of Belgium, during the first round of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)

The ground crew covers the field as rain pours down during the first inning of a baseball game between the Texas Rangers and Chicago White Sox, Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)

Newspaper headlines announcing the 1973 assassination of Juan Ignacio Rucci are projected on a screen during an event in Congress marking International Day of Remembrance and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Gustavo Garello)

Kouri Richins, a Utah mother of three who wrote a children's book about coping with grief after her husband's death and was later accused of fatally poisoning him, looks on during a hearing Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024, in Park City, Utah. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, Pool)

A couple sit in front of their house destroyed by a Russian strike in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Andriy Andriyenko)

Athlete Kaewsri Charkorn, of Thailand, puts on his goggles with his foot, before swimming at a training session ahead of the 2024 Paralympics, Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

In this photo released by Soroka Medical Center on Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024, Qaid Farhan Alkadi, 52, who was held hostage by Hamas militants in Gaza lies on a bed of the Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba, Israel. (Soroka Medical Center via AP)

Palestinians mourn relatives killed in the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip, at a hospital in Deir al-Balah, Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Protestors against the rape and murder of a resident doctor at a government hospital earlier this month, runs as police fire tear gas, in Kolkata, India, Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Bikas Das)

Revelers pay respect before forming human pyramids to reach an overhanging earthen pot while celebrating Hindu festival Janmashtami, the festival that marks the birth of Hindu God Krishna, in Mumbai, India, Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024.(AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

Next Article

Germany sails two warships through Taiwan Strait for the first time in two decades

Justin Timberlake expected to plead guilty to impaired driving in New York

David Beckham among soccer dignitaries attending ex-England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson’s funeral

Solheim Cup begins with half-empty grandstands and fans stuck waiting for buses to course

Studies on pigeon-guided missiles, swimming abilities of dead fish among Ig Nobels winners

Dolphins’ Tua Tagovailoa sustains third concussion of his career after hitting head on turf

In Denmark, a man is suspected of 86 counts of reckless driving. He filmed it himself.

Stock market today: In premarket, Wall Street inches closer toward erasing last week’s losses