Germany protests to China over laser targeting of German reconnaissance aircraft
The German foreign ministry and defense ministry say the aircraft, chartered by the military, was taking part in an EU-led mission to protect ships from Yemen's Houthi rebels.
The foreign ministry summoned the Chinese ambassador to Germany on Tuesday to protest the endangerment of German personnel and the disruption of the operation.
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul expressed outrage over the incident in a local media interview. He said Germany is prepared to deal with China as an equal partner and continually seek cooperation, but Berlin will clearly reject any behavior by Beijing that violates the rules.
A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson told reporters on Wednesday that Germany's information was totally inconsistent with the facts grasped by the Chinese side.
The Chinese official said the two sides should take a fact-based attitude and strengthen communication to avoid misunderstanding and misjudgment.
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