‘Entirely unacceptable’: Germany says Chinese military laser-attacked its security mission in Red Sea

Germany on Tuesday said that Chinese military targeted a German aircraft operating in the Red Sea area with a laser.

In a post on X, German Foreign Office said that the Chinese vessel targeted the German ship during its deployment in the Red Sea as part of the European Union’s (EU) Operation Aspides.

Germany summoned Chinese Ambassador Shi Mingde and registered protest.

The EU launched Operation Aspides last year as a defensive operation under the Common Security and Defense Policy (CSDP) to protect commercial vessels from in the Red Sea and surrounding waters from Yemen-based Houthis, who began attacking vessels in the region after Hamas —a fellow Iran-backed anti-Israel terrorist group— attacked Israel, triggering the current West Asia crisis.

Chinese warship targeted without any reason, says Germany

A German defence official told Associated Press that the incident happened earlier this month.

The official said that a Chinese warship lasered the German aircraft “without any reason or prior contact”.

“By using the laser, the warship accepted the risk of endangering people and material,” the official said.

While Germany did not specify the type of aircraft that China targeted, it is known that aircraft in Operation Aspides are used for surveillance purposes in the international waters. These aircraft assist ships in the waters to better defend against any threats.

Separately, a German military spokesperson told AFP that the Chinese vessel had “taken the risk of endangering the (German) personnel and equipment”.

After being targeted by China, the aircraft returned to a base in Djibouti, as per the statement.

At the time of writing, China had not given a response in the matter.