During Question Time, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was confronted by Opposition Leader Peter Dutton regarding whether he had addressed the sonar incident with Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leader Xi Jinping during a recent APEC meeting. On Nov. 14, a Chinese destroyer approached an area where the Australian Navy’s HMAS Toowoomba was conducting a mission, leading to a sonar incident that injured Australian navy personnel. When questioned by Dutton, Albanese stated that the government had expressed concerns about the incident to the CCP leader and had communicated through appropriate channels. He emphasized that Australia had worked to stabilize relations with Beijing without compromising its core interests.
Dutton pressed the Prime Minister to answer whether he had raised the issue directly with Xi Jinping, to which Albanese responded by accusing the opposition of oversimplifying foreign relations and highlighted Australia’s increased exports to China under his government. He pointed out that they have made progress in exports to China and remain focused on cooperating where possible and disagreeing when necessary.
The incident has triggered accusations and denials from both Australian and Chinese officials. Mao Ning, a spokesperson for China’s foreign ministry, described the Chinese military’s conduct as “strictly disciplined” and professional, according to international law and common practices. Conversely, Dutton dismissed this denial as propaganda, emphasizing the need for Australia to call out aggressive behavior and for the Prime Minister not to backpedal or soft-pedal on significant issues with President Xi.