Major Taiwanese news network Liberty Times Network (LTN) recently reported that, starting on August 15th, Germany would hold the “Rapid Pacific 2022” air exercise with Singapore, Australia, Japan and South Korea in sequence. The German Air Force’s primary active-duty fighter jet, the Eurofighter Typhoon, will also participate. This is the first time since World War II that German warplanes have been projected over the Indo-Pacific region, regardless whether they are from West Germany or East Germany. The German government wants to use this exercise to prove that its air force can also operate in Asia and balance the power in that region against China. The German Air Force also dispatched three Airbus A330 MRTT aerial tankers, four Airbus A400M tactical transport aircraft, as well as around 250 soldiers. The spokesperson of the German Ministry of Defense said that Germany hopes to maintain diversity and order in the international community and to demonstrate this value together with security partners. The ruling Social Democratic Party (SPD) heavyweight, member of the Bundestag and former Berlin mayor Michael Muller bluntly said that Germany cannot rely on China, which is a lesson from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. This view has gradually become the consensus of European politics. The Ukrainian-Russian war has made Europe, which is directly facing the threat of Russia, once again realize the importance of the “Atlantic Alliance” between Europe and the United States.
Source: LTN, August 15, 2022
https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/world/paper/1534449