Berlin says China targeted German plane with laser over Red Sea
"Endangering German personnel and disrupting the operation is entirely unacceptable," the foreign ministry said on X, adding that Beijing's ambassador to Berlin had been summoned for talks.
The German aircraft was targeted "without reason or prior contact ... during a routine operation" over the Red Sea while taking part in the European Union's Aspides mission, a spokesman for the German defence ministry said.
The aircraft in question was a "multi-sensor platform" used as a "flying eye" for reconnaissance.
The Chinese vessel had "taken the risk of endangering (German) personnel and equipment", the spokesman added.
The German aircraft's mission was subsequently abandoned following the encounter and returned to a base in Djibouti.
It was not immediately clear whether the laser was a weapon or a laser guidance system.
According to the Bild daily, the incident took place on Jul 2 near the Yemeni coast and involved a "blinding laser" aimed at disrupting the operation of an aircraft.
The defence ministry spokesman said that the Chinese vessel concerned had "already been encountered several times in the region".
China established its first permanent overseas naval base in Djibouti in 2016, reportedly for US$590 million and strategically placed between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
Beijing has said the base is used to resupply navy ships, support regional peacekeeping and humanitarian operations, and combat piracy, though its proximity to a US military base has raised concerns of espionage.
China has been accused several times in recent years of using lasers in similar incidents.
In February 2023, the Philippines said a Chinese military vessel had used a military-grade laser light against one of its patrol boats in the disputed South China Sea.
In 2022, Australia also said the Chinese army shone a laser at one of its surveillance aircraft in an "act of intimidation".
Up to 700 German soldiers take part in the EU's Aspides mission in the Red Sea aimed at protecting shipping from attacks by Yemen's Huthi rebels.
On Monday, the Houthis claimed responsibility for the first such attack this year, on a Greek-owned, Liberian-flagged vessel, with another ongoing attack on a cargo vessel in the Red Sea killing two people.
The in October 2023, saying they are acting in solidarity with Palestinians.
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