German Government Claims German Aircraft Targeted by Chinese Laser Over Red Sea
Summons Chinese Ambassador to Lodge Protest
The German government has summoned the Chinese ambassador to Germany to lodge a protest regarding an incident in which a German aircraft was targeted with a laser by China over the Red Sea.
According to CNN on July 8 (local time), the German government announced that it had summoned the Chinese ambassador to the Foreign Ministry in connection with an incident in which a Chinese warship targeted a German aircraft with a laser while the aircraft was participating in a European Union (EU) operation over the Red Sea.
Previously, the German Foreign Ministry stated via social media that "a German aircraft conducting the EU's Aspides (Shield) operation was targeted with a laser by the Chinese military," adding, "Any threat to German personnel and disruption of operations is absolutely unacceptable."
According to the German Defense Ministry, the aircraft targeted with the laser was participating in the EU's Aspides operation to protect international maritime routes and has been operated as a 'Multi-Sensor Platform' (MSP) conducting reconnaissance in the Red Sea area since October last year. The Aspides operation is a military mission launched by EU member states in the Red Sea since February last year to protect merchant vessels from attacks by the Iran-aligned Yemeni Houthi rebels.
A spokesperson for the German Defense Ministry explained, "This incident occurred during a routine mission flight," and added, "A Chinese warship targeted the aircraft with a laser without prior notice or explanation." The incident reportedly took place in early July.
The spokesperson also stated, "The use of the laser threatened the safety of personnel and equipment," and added, "As a precaution, the mission was suspended and the aircraft landed safely at the Djibouti base." The MSP was later redeployed to the operation.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry and the Chinese Embassy in Germany did not respond to CNN's request for comment.
Meanwhile, this is not the first time that a NATO member state and China have clashed over laser targeting. In 2020, the United States Pacific Fleet claimed that a Chinese warship fired a laser at a US Navy patrol aircraft flying over international waters west of Guam, but at the time, China refuted the claim, stating that it was "not true."
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