Prime Minister Anthony Albanese criticized China for a “dangerous” meeting between them Chinese and Australian warships while he declined to say whether he had raised the issue in recent talks with President Xi Jinping.
An Australian diver was injured when a Chinese destroyer used sonar while near an Australian frigate in international waters last week, an official said. Defense Secretary Richard Marles said at the weekend that he had raised serious concerns with Beijing about the destroyer’s unsafe and unprofessional behaviour.
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The US, Canadian and Australian militaries have repeatedly protested what they say are dangerous actions by the Chinese navy and air force in the western Pacific. Analysts say a collision or other accident could trigger an international incident and escalate into conflict.
Australia said the Chinese destroyer CNS Ningbo activated its sonar while Australian navy divers were trying to clear fishing nets that had entangled the propellers of their ship HMAS Toowoomba.
Albanese said one diver was injured. Defense officials have not specified the injuries or the number of divers, but media reported that the divers’ ears were injured.
Analysts say sonar pulses can cause extensive soft tissue damage in divers at close range.
Australia says Toowoomba notified Ningbo that diving operations were underway and asked the Chinese to stay clear. But the Ningbo approached using hull-mounted sonar equipment, endangering the divers and forcing them out of the water, defense officials say.
Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman Wu Qian on Monday dismissed Australia’s claims as “totally untrue” and the ministry denied Australia’s account that the interaction took place inside Japan’s exclusive economic zone.
Wu said the destroyer was tracking and monitoring the frigate in accordance with international laws and regulations. The Chinese ship had maintained a safe distance and did not interfere with the Australian divers’ operations, he said.
“We urge the Australian side to respect the facts, stop reckless and irresponsible accusations against China, do more to build mutual trust between the two sides, and create a positive atmosphere for the healthy development of relations between the two countries and of the two soldiers. Wu said.
Between the meeting and Marles’ statement, Albanese spoke to Xi on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Leaders Summit in San Francisco. Albanese said on Monday that his discussions with Xi were private, rather than a formal bilateral meeting in which summaries of the content are made public.
“I’m not talking about private meetings on the sidelines, conversations I have with any world leader,” Albanese told Sky News in his office in Parliament.
“It is something that is a sad incident. That is why we have expressed our very strong objections to China very clearly, very directly through all the appropriate channels in all the forums available to us,” Albanese added.
He said the incident was “damaging” Australia’s relationship with China. “This was dangerous, unsafe and unprofessional from the Chinese forces,” he said.
Read the original at Defence247.gr
