Beijing has denied Germany’s allegation that a Chinese warship had targeted a German aircraft in the Red Sea with a laser.

The German foreign ministry said on Tuesday the aircraft was taking part in the European Union’s Aspides mission to protect marine traffic in the waterway, while the People’s Liberation Army naval vessel laser-targeted it “without reason or prior contact”.

The Chinese ambassador to Berlin was summoned for the incident the ministry described as “endangering German personnel and disrupting the operation” and “entirely unacceptable”.

In response, the Chinese foreign ministry said on Wednesday that the accusation “does not match the facts that China has gathered”.

“It is important to increase communication in a timely way and be fact-based to avoid misunderstanding and miscalculation,” spokesperson Mao Ning said.

Mao did not elaborate on China’s version of the incident but defended the PLA navy’s presence in the region.