Australia Slams China . So, Australia’s Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, finally opened up about that showdown between a Chinese warship and an Aussie navy vessel. He’s not happy about it, not one bit.
The Incident
Picture this: The Aussie ship, HMAS Toowoomba, was busy sorting out fishing nets tangled in its propellers in Japan’s Exclusive Economic Zone. Then, out of the blue, a Chinese warship decided to get too close for comfort.
What Albanese Thinks
Albanese is pretty ticked off about the whole thing. He said it was risky, unsafe, and totally not cool for the Chinese warship to act that way. According to him, this incident caused some harm, and it’s making things a little rough between the two countries.
Did He Bring It Up With Xi?
Albanese met China’s President Xi Jinping at a meeting in San Francisco, but he’s keeping mum on whether he chatted about this incident. He did say they spoke about it through the usual official channels, though.
Damage to Ties
He’s clear that these kinds of events mess up the relationship between countries. And this one’s definitely not doing any favors. Albanese made it known that Australia isn’t pleased about what went down.
What Really Happened
The Australian Defense Minister mentioned that the Chinese warship ignored the Aussie ship’s warning about their diving mission. Plus, they fired up their sonar in a way that put the divers’ safety at risk.
Injuries and Complaints
Apparently, medical checks found minor injuries on the divers, likely from the Chinese destroyer’s sonar. But, surprise, China’s not exactly thrilled about Australia’s complaints. They’re saying their ship kept its distance and didn’t disrupt anything.
China’s Response
China’s Ministry of Defense isn’t buying into Australia’s version of events. They’ve put in a word saying, “Hey, Aussie pals, chill out and stop making up stories.” They want both sides to focus on patching things up between them.
The Bigger Picture
Albanese recently took a trip to China, the first Aussie leader to do so in seven years. They’re trying to kickstart talks again, but this whole ship drama isn’t helping.