A Chinese warship targeted a German surveillance aircraft operating over the Red Sea with a laser, according to a statement from the government in Berlin Tuesday.
The alleged incident took place last week, while the German aircraft was supporting the European Union’s Operation Aspides, which began in February 2024 to protect shipping in the Red Sea against Houthi attacks.
Germany’s Foreign Ministry summoned the Chinese ambassador in Berlin to answer to the accusations. “The endangerment of German personnel and disruption of the operation are completely unacceptable,” the ministry said on X, announcing the summons.
According to reports in the German media, the surveillance aircraft was a contractor-operated type — widely assessed to be a specially configured Beechcraft King Air 350 — flying from Djibouti on behalf of the German military.
As well as a civilian flight crew, there were reportedly as many as four members of the German Armed Forces aboard the aircraft when it is said to have been targeted while operating off the coast of Yemen, on July 2.
German news magazine Der Spiegel reports that the incident occurred when the aircraft approached a People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) frigate, which then targeted the plane.
A German Foreign Ministry spokesperson said the unnamed Chinese warship had been encountered several times in the area before, and “laser-targeted the aircraft with no reason or prior communication during a routine mission flight.” The aircraft was forced to abort its mission and return to Djibouti.
The Spiegel report states that “Possible damage is still unclear and is still being investigated.” According to the German Foreign Ministry, the surveillance flights have now resumed.
The German contribution to Operation Aspides involves a maximum of 700 personnel and has included warships, which have engaged Houthi drones and cruise missiles, with mixed success.
At the end of January this year, the German government extended the country’s participation in the mission. Currently, only 23 German personnel are deployed in support of the operation.
Since 2008, the Chinese military has had a continuous presence in the Gulf of Aden, via its permanent base in Djibouti. The PLAN has also sent warships to protect its own shipping interests in the Red Sea, before striking a deal with the Houthis that allows its commercial vessels to pass through these waters without being attacked.