Australia in a statement reports its navy personnel suffered minor injuries after being exposed to sonar pulses from a Chinese warship in international waters near Japan.
Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles said Canberra expressed serious concerns to Beijing over “unsafe and unprofessional interactions with a People’s Liberation Army-Navy (PLA-N) destroyer.”
The incident occurred on Tuesday when the Australian long-range frigate HMAS Toowoomba was in international waters in Japan’s exclusive economic zone on its way to a scheduled port visit.
“HMAS Toowoomba had been in the region conducting operations in support of United Nations sanctions enforcement. It had stopped to conduct diving operations in order to clear fishing nets that had become entangled around its propellers,” said Marles, adding that “Despite acknowledging Toowoomba’s communications, the Chinese vessel approached at a closer range. Soon after, it was detected operating its hull-mounted sonar in a manner that posed a risk to the safety of the Australian divers who were forced to exit the water.”
The Australian vessel informed of its intention to conduct diving operations in normal sea channels and using internationally recognised signals and asked the vessel to stay away.
The latest development comes amid improving relations between Beijing and Canberra in recent months following negotiations between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
