Germany wants to expand its military presence in the Indo-Pacific region.
"In the coming year, the army will take part in a series of exercises with our value partners in Australia," said Inspector General Eberhard Zorn in an interview with the Reuters news agency published on Wednesday.
"The Navy will also return to the Indo-Pacific, but this time with a fleet consisting of several ships." The Bundeswehr is already planning these projects for the coming year.
"This is how we want to consolidate our presence in the region," said Zorn.
"We don't want to provoke anyone with our presence, but we also want to send a clear signal of solidarity to our value partners," said the general, adding: "We stand up for the freedom of the sea lanes and the observance of international norms." The West is becoming increasingly concerned China's behavior towards Taiwan, which the communist government in Beijing claims is its own.
"We are observing an enormous build-up of the Chinese armed forces," said Zorn.
"The size of the Chinese armed forces has always been large, but now they are also being upgraded technologically." However, he does not see an acute military threat to Europe "at the moment".