Overview

• On July 2, a Chinese naval vessel was accused of shining a laser at a German multi-sensor reconnaissance aircraft during a routine patrol over the Red Sea.
• Germany summoned Ambassador Deng Hongbo to Berlin to lodge a formal protest, denouncing the act as “entirely unacceptable.”
• The aircraft aborted its mission as a precaution, landed safely in Djibouti with no injuries reported and has since resumed flights under Operation Aspides.
• China’s foreign ministry dismissed the accusation as “completely inconsistent with the facts” and called for timely communication to prevent misunderstandings.
• The dispute has intensified EU concerns over Beijing’s growing naval presence in strategic waterways and the risks posed by emerging directed-energy technologies.