Germany wants the United States to believe that its new naval deployment, which began on Monday, is a show of support for Washington in the Indo-Pacific. In reality, that deployment is proving only Germany’s increasingly pathetic submission to China.

Berlin’s official line is that the frigate Bayern’s deployment proves that Germany is committed to freedom of navigation in the South China Sea. That’s a priority U.S. concern in light of China’s imperialist claim over the near entirety of that sea. Beijing intends to use that territorial control to extort political submission from other nations. Were Germany actually now standing with America on this critical issue, it would be a very welcome development.