China accused of injuring Australian divers
Australian Defense Force divers were injured this week after being exposed to sonar pulses from a Chinese warship, the Sydney Morning Herald reports.
The incident occurred in international waters in Japan's exclusive economic zone. The divers were in the process of clearing fishing nets stuck in the Australian vessel's propellers and they are said to have notified the Chinese of what was going on. However, the Chinese ship is said to have approached the Australian one despite repeated warnings.
That the warnings were not heeded has caused Australia's Defense Minister Richard Marles to react. He believes that all countries' militaries, including China's, are expected to act "professionally and safely".
It is unclear what injuries the divers sustained, but according to Sky News, the sound pulses can cause dizziness and organ damage.
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The call: Talk to Xi - stand up for Australia
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese should raise the issue of the Chinese military's actions directly with President Xi Jinping, opposition spokesman James Paterson told the Sydney Morning Herald.
Tuesday's incident, in which sonar pulses from a Chinese vessel injured Australian defense divers in international waters, was made public in a government statement only on Saturday.
In between, Albanese has met Xi at the Apec meeting in the US.
- He goes abroad to make these important trips for a reason. One of them is to stand up for Australia and stand up for our interests.
According to the newspaper, it is not clear whether the issue will be raised with Xi or not.
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