Germany has summoned the Chinese ambassador to Berlin after accusing China’s military of targeting a German surveillance aircraft with a laser during a European Union naval operation in the Red Sea, marking a rare confrontation between the NATO member and Beijing.
The incident occurred at the beginning of July when a Chinese warship directed a laser at the German aircraft “without any reason or prior contact” during a routine patrol mission, according to Germany’s defense ministry. The aircraft was participating in the EU’s Operation Aspides, a defensive maritime security mission launched to protect commercial shipping from attacks by Iran-backed Houthi rebels.
By using the laser, the warship accepted the risk of endangering people and material,” a spokesperson for Germany’s defense ministry said Tuesday, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with government policy. The mission was immediately aborted as a precautionary measure, with the aircraft landing safely at its base in Djibouti.
Germany’s foreign ministry took to social media platform X to express its outrage over the incident. The Chinese military employed a laser targeting a German aircraft in the EU operation #ASPIDES. Endangering German personnel & disrupting the operation is entirely unacceptable,” the ministry stated, confirming that China’s ambassador had been summoned for formal protests.
According to German newspaper Bild, the incident specifically occurred on July 2 near the Yemeni coast as the German reconnaissance aircraft approached a Chinese frigate. The publication reported that potential damage from the laser exposure is still being investigated by authorities.
The confrontation represents an unusual escalation between a European NATO member and China, coming at a time of mounting concerns within the EU about Beijing’s influence on critical technologies and security infrastructure across Europe. While incidents involving Chinese forces and U.S. military assets have occurred periodically, direct confrontations with European forces remain relatively rare.
Operation Aspides, named after the Greek word for “shields,” was launched by the European Union on February 19, 2024, as a purely defensive mission covering the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, Arabian Sea, Gulf of Oman, and Persian Gulf. Unlike the more offensive U.S.-led Operation Prosperity Guardian, Aspides focuses exclusively on escort duties and defensive actions to protect merchant vessels.
Up to 700 German military personnel participate in the mission, which has been extended through February 2026 following a strategic review. The operation has successfully escorted dozens of commercial vessels and intercepted numerous drone and missile threats since its inception.
“We will not be offensively neutralizing a threat on land,” a senior EU diplomat explained when the mission launched. The rules of operation are strictly self-defense.” This defensive posture distinguishes the EU operation from parallel U.S. and UK military strikes against Houthi positions in Yemen.
The laser incident adds to a pattern of Chinese military vessels using directed-energy weapons against foreign aircraft in international waters. In 2020, the U.S. Pacific Fleet reported that a Chinese warship had fired a military-grade laser at a U.S. Navy P-8A Poseidon patrol aircraft flying above international waters west of Guam, though Beijing denied the incident occurred.
Military experts note that laser attacks on aircraft pose serious risks, potentially damaging sensitive optical equipment and temporarily or permanently injuring crew members’ eyesight. The use of such weapons against military aircraft operating in international airspace violates established norms of maritime behavior.
The Chinese warship involved had been “encountered several times” in the Red Sea area prior to the laser incident, according to German officials, though they did not specify the vessel’s mission or affiliation. China maintains a naval presence in the region, including anti-piracy patrols in the Gulf of Aden.
There was no immediate response from China’s foreign ministry to requests for comment, and the Chinese e
