The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) attempted to shift the blame to Japan for an incident in which an Australian Navy vessel was targeted by a Chinese warship using sonar. This move was quickly denounced by both the Australian government and the opposition.
In a press briefing, Beijing’s ambassador to Australia, Xiao Qian, claimed that the Chinese warship did not initiate sonar and suggested that a Japanese navy boat nearby may have been responsible. He also stated that the use of sonar by the Chinese ship would have caused immediate fatality, a claim refuted by the Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who stood by the reports made by the navy at the time.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong also reiterated that Australia stands by the assessments of the Australian Defence Force and the representations made by the government. The opposition was even stronger in their response, with home affairs spokesman James Paterson dismissing the ambassador’s claims as “ridiculous in the extreme” and accusing Chinese diplomats of prioritizing pleasing Chinese leader Xi Jinping over influencing the host country.
Defence experts and officials, including Strategic Analysis Australia Director Michael Shoebridge and the lead author of Australia’s Defence Strategic Review Peter Dean, also expressed doubt about the ambassador’s claims. Shoebridge accused Beijing of attempting to drive wedges between partners and allies, while Dean described the tactics as “intimidatory” and called for Australia to call out the incident for what it is. Japan’s Embassy in Australia, a key partner for Australia in the Indo-Pacific region, affirmed its commitment to the rule of law and security cooperation.