logo
China says German plane laser claim ‘inconsistent with facts'

China says German plane laser claim ‘inconsistent with facts'

Al Arabiya09-07-2025
Beijing dismissed on Wednesday claims by Berlin that the Chinese military had directed a laser at a German aircraft over the Red Sea as 'completely inconsistent with the facts.'
The foreign ministry in Berlin said on Tuesday that a German aircraft participating in a 'routine' EU-led mission to protect marine traffic in the Red Sea had been targeted by a laser, endangering personnel.
Its counterpart in Beijing rejected the accusation.
'Both sides should adopt a pragmatic attitude, strengthen communication in a timely manner, and avoid misunderstandings and miscalculations,' Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said.
She said Chinese naval vessels had been carrying out escort duties in the Gulf of Aden and in Somali waters, 'contributing to the safety of international shipping lanes.'
Describing the incident as 'entirely unacceptable,' Berlin said the reconnaissance aircraft involved had been forced to abandon its mission and returned to a base in Djibouti.
It was not immediately clear whether the laser was a weapon or a laser guidance system.
The Bild daily said the incident took place on July 2 near the Yemeni coast and involved a 'blinding laser' aimed at disrupting the operation of an aircraft.
China has been accused several times in recent years of using lasers in similar incidents.
It established its first permanent overseas naval base in Djibouti in 2016, reportedly at a cost of $590 million and strategically placed between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
Beijing has said the base is used to resupply navy ships, support regional peacekeeping and humanitarian operations and combat piracy, although its proximity to a US military base has raised concerns of espionage.
The Philippines said in February 2023 a Chinese military vessel had used a military-grade laser against one of its patrol boats in the disputed South China Sea.
In 2022, Australia said the Chinese army had directed a laser at one of its surveillance aircraft in an 'act of intimidation.'
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Yemen's Houthis threaten to target ships linked to firms dealing with Israeli ports
Yemen's Houthis threaten to target ships linked to firms dealing with Israeli ports

Arab News

time33 minutes ago

  • Arab News

Yemen's Houthis threaten to target ships linked to firms dealing with Israeli ports

Yemen's Houthis said on Sunday they would target any ships belonging to companies that do business with Israeli ports, regardless of their nationalities, as part of what they called the fourth phase of their military operations against Israel. In a televised statement, the Houthis' military spokesperson warned that ships would be attacked if companies ignored their warnings, regardless of their destination. 'The Yemeni Armed Forces call on all countries, if they want to avoid this escalation, to pressure the enemy to halt its aggression and lift the blockade on the Gaza Strip,' he added. Since Israel's war in Gaza began in October 2023, the Iran-aligned Houthis have been attacking ships they deem as bound or linked to Israel in what they say are acts of solidarity with Palestinians. In May, the US announced a surprise deal with the Houthis where it agreed to stop a bombing campaign against them in return for an end to shipping attacks, though the Houthis said the deal did not include sparing Israel.

Europe can build its own social media
Europe can build its own social media

Arab News

time4 hours ago

  • Arab News

Europe can build its own social media

When I built my first website back in 1998, the internet felt expansive. You could publish something in Berlin and someone in Boston or Belgrade might stumble on it within seconds. But today, as a small number of tech monopolies hoover up attention and strangle innovation, that spirit of connection has been lost. Through their powerful platforms, social media giants control a large share of the digital world's underlying architecture. Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, X and others operate as walled gardens and their algorithms discourage users from leaving by deprioritizing posts with outgoing links. People end up stuck on one platform, scrolling mindlessly — an outcome diametrically opposed to the early vision of the internet as a web of interlinked sites and communities. Europe should recognize this for what it is: a systemic dependency that threatens the continent's digital sovereignty. Just as the EU seeks to reduce its reliance on external providers for semiconductors, cloud computing and artificial intelligence, it must do the same for social media. The dominant platforms extract value from European users by capturing their attention and selling their data, while paying little in taxes and skirting regulations. Their proprietary infrastructure increasingly shapes our lives, from the news we see to the way we speak online. While European policymakers have long expressed concern about the concentration of corporate power among the big social media companies, and their outsize influence on society and politics, last year's US presidential election should be sounding alarm bells across the continent. Tech billionaire Elon Musk weaponized X, the platform formerly known as Twitter that he acquired in 2022, to help Donald Trump win reelection by promoting content favorable to him. He has since threatened to interfere in European elections. One solution is to invest in EU-based alternatives. But time and again, policymakers trot out the same excuse that there are no viable options. The European Commission's new International Digital Strategy is likewise skeptical that the bloc can wean itself off Big Tech, instead calling for collaboration with the US to address its dependency. But this stance ignores the emergence in recent years of social media sites built on decentralized, open protocols. These new platforms are fundamentally different, in principle and design, from American behemoths such as Instagram and X. They restore control to users, reduce gatekeeping and encourage innovation. Open protocols are poised to upend the status quo, creating a more democratic digital world. Sebastian Vogelsang Perhaps the best example is the AT Protocol, which serves as the foundation for Bluesky, a fast-growing platform that has amassed almost 36 million users. Designed for interoperability, the AT Protocol allows users to own their data and control the algorithms that curate their feeds. Anyone can develop apps on the decentralized system — which means that no single company can dominate — and users can easily move between platforms, taking their followers and content with them. That means they never have to start over from scratch. This dedication to pluralism helps break Big Tech's monopoly power over social media, which has stifled European innovation for decades. Europe-based firms have already used the AT Protocol to create platforms such as SkyFeed and Graysky. Others are trying to protect and build out this social ecosystem free from Big Tech's grip. The Free Our Feeds campaign is working to ensure that the underlying infrastructure continues to be governed in the public interest. Eurosky is a new pro bono effort by a group of European technologists, including myself, to create tools, such as built-in content moderation aligned with EU laws, and infrastructure on the AT Protocol that help European developers build and scale platforms that can rival the social media giants. Open protocols are not some utopian project. They are poised to upend the status quo of social media, creating a more democratic digital world. That is why European policymakers should designate these social networking frameworks as critical infrastructure and invest in developing them. Social media should be at the heart of Europe's digital sovereignty agenda. Building platforms in Europe that rely on an open-source framework would help safeguard democratic discourse from foreign manipulation, create economic value for the continent and ensure European social media users control the algorithms that shape what they see. Countries outside the EU could also benefit from these efforts to challenge Big Tech's dominance. The online world has gone astray, with America's tech sector largely calling the shots on how it is developed and used. Europe can help return the internet to its roots by fostering a social media ecosystem built for pluralism, not polarization, but it needs political leaders who are willing to fight for a new, truly social digital infrastructure.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store