Beijing protests in Bern Swiss Air Force intercepts jet with Xi Jinping on board
A routine operation by the Swiss Air Force leads to diplomatic tensions with China. A Chinese jet is controlled by two fighter jets over Switzerland. On board is President Xi Jinping.
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- Two Swiss F/A-18 fighter jets routinely inspect a Chinese state aircraft on November 22, 2024, without knowing that President Xi Jinping is on board.
- China reacted angrily to the unannounced inspection and demanded an apology, which the Swiss government refused to give.
- The Swiss Air Force inspects aircraft flying over Switzerland around 200 times a year.
A routine operation by the Swiss Air Force leads to considerable diplomatic tensions with China. This is what happened: Two F/A-18 fighter jets inspect a Chinese state aircraft over Switzerland. What they don't know: Chinese President Xi Jinping is on board.
The inspection took place on the night of November 22, 2024, when the Air China Boeing 747, which took off from Casablanca, flew over Switzerland, as reported by "Aargauer Zeitung". The Swiss Air Force carried out a routine check to verify that the aircraft data matched the overflight authorizations. This type of check is a standard task for the Swiss Air Force and is carried out around 200 times a year.
Unannounced inspection outrages Beijing
Although the overflight was correctly registered and approved, the unannounced inspection caused displeasure among the Chinese authorities. The chargé d'affaires of the Chinese embassy in Bern, Mao Jun, telephoned the head of the air force, Peter Merz, to complain about the night-time operation, which could have disturbed the peace of the Chinese head of state.
Merz rejects the complaint and emphasizes that it was an orderly operation by the Swiss Air Force. The Chinese then demanded an apology from the Swiss government, but none was forthcoming. Neither Defense Minister Viola Amherd nor the current President of the Swiss Confederation Karin Keller-Sutter gave in to the pressure.
Diplomatic efforts to calm things down
The Federal Department of Foreign Affairs under Ignazio Cassis is making considerable efforts to calm the diplomatic waters. It has written several letters of appeasement to calm the Chinese government.
Air force chief Merz now has a new job: in fall 2025, he will take over as head of the Swiss air navigation service provider Skyguide. He is already known as the "sheriff of the skies".
The editor wrote this article with the help of AI.
