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China has challenged Germany’s claim that it has headed for a laser military aircraft, fired by a warship, as diplomatic spitting between the two countries is deepening.
Germany has accused China of trying to break one of its planes earlier this month, as it has been involved in operations led by the European Union aimed at protecting ships in the Red Sea from missiles fired by the Yemen rebel group.
The German Foreign Ministry called the Chinese ambassador and described the incident as “completely unacceptable”. The EU Finance Messenger is also called by the block, Reuters reports.
Beijing stepped back, saying that Germany’s account was “completely incompatible with the facts known by the Chinese side.”
On Tuesday, Germany said the intelligence plane was directed as it flew over the Red Sea, where several European countries have contributed to monitoring and defense efforts since the beginning of 2024 to protect ships from regular attacks, started by Yemen.
The laser was fired by a Chinese warship, which was spotted several times and did not communicate with the passing plane, Germany said.
The aircraft was forced to abandon its mission and return to a military base in the East African Nation Jibut as a precaution, according to the Foreign Ministry.
Berlin fiercely responded to the incident, accusing China of “threatening German staff and violating the operation”.
The Chinese government responded on Wednesday, with spokesman Mao Ning told a press conference that his fleet was performing “escort operations” in the Gulf of Aden and off the coast of Somalia.
She said that Germany and China should “perceive the facts based on the facts and to strengthen communication on time to avoid misunderstanding and misjudgment.”
China has been accused of using lasers to target military aircraft before, mainly from the United States. China denied it.
Lasers can be used for blind pilots, and a new class of powerful lasers capable of deactivating the targets in the air are in the process of developing military around the world.
China established a constant military presence in the region in 2017 when it opened a base in Djibouti, which Beijing said it was used for antipytes and freedom of navigation operations.
Western governments have expressed concerns about China’s ambitions in the region following the opening of the Djibouti base, where the United States, Japan, France and others also have military installations.
It is located in a strategically important point of a pinch leading to the Red Sea and Suez Channel – one of the most important shipping routes in the world.