China Challenges German Claim Warship Laser-Targeted Plane

(Bloomberg) —

China disputed Germany’s accusation that one if its warships behaved dangerously toward a military aircraft in the Red Sea, an incident that Chancellor Friedrich Merz called “totally unacceptable.”

The foreign ministry in Berlin summoned China’s ambassador this week after an investigation determined that one of its surveillance planes had been targeted with a laser in the Red Sea in early July.

The propeller-powered plane was contributing to long-range reconnaissance as part of the European Union-led operation to protect sea lanes from attacks by the Houthi militia.

“This shows that we have to deal with such phenomena,” Merz said Wednesday at a news conference in Berlin after talks with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. “We will find out exactly where this laser attack on a German aircraft came from.”

The timing of the apparent episode in the Red Sea roughly coincided with a trip by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to Belgium, Germany and France. It adds to increased tensions between Europe and China after Beijing decided to cancel part of a two-day summit with EU leaders planned for later this month.

Mao Ning, a spokeswoman for the Chinese foreign ministry, said Wednesday that “what Germany said is fully inconsistent with the facts.”

She told a regular press briefing in Beijing that China “fulfills its responsibility as a major country and contributes to the safety of international shipping lanes,” adding that “the two sides should strengthen communication in a facts-based and timely way to avoid misunderstanding and miscalculation.”

Asked about those comments, a spokeswoman for Germany’s foreign ministry said the government had taken note.

“You can be sure that we certainly wouldn’t summon the Chinese ambassador lightly, but based on findings that we have and a detailed investigation we conducted,” spokeswoman Kathrin Deschauer told a regular news conference.

“In the discussion with the Chinese ambassador, we very clearly expressed our attitude and our findings and of course our expectation that such incidents don’t take place again,” she added.

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said he wants to engage with China “as equals,” but called on the country to explain what happened.

“I am more than irritated by this incident,” Wadephul said in interview published Wednesday by RedaktionsNetzwerk Deutschland. “Such disruption of our aircraft, as well as any other unprovoked endangerment of our units, is unacceptable.”

© 2025 Bloomberg L.P.

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