Penny Wong warns China after sonar pulses hit HMAS Toowoomba divers

Senator Wong met with Chinese Minister Liu Jianchao in Canberra on Wednesday, just over a week after a Chinese vessel used active sonar to target navy divers conducting underwater repairs off the coast of Japan.

A foreign affairs spokesperson confirmed Senator Wong raised a formal complaint with Mr Liu during the meeting after China denied involvement in the November 14 incident.

“The Minister reiterated the Australian government’s serious concerns following an unsafe and unprofessional interaction with a People’s Liberation Army-Navy destroyer,” Senator Wong’s spokesperson said.

“The Foreign Minister sees ­engagement with senior Chinese officials as an opportunity for ­dialogue, in order to navigate our differences.”

In a post on X, Senator Wong wrote that she had a “frank” discussion with Mr Liu about bilateral relations, including consular matters, and “the importance of international law, rules and norms to peace and security in the region.”

It came days after Mr Liu told an event in Sydney that the confrontation occurred in waters where there was “some kind of dispute between China and Japan,” despite Canberra officials confirming the incident took place inside Japan’s exclusive economic zone.

During a separate meeting with Mr Liu, Opposition leader Peter Dutton and his foreign affairs spokesman, Simon Birmingham, reprimanded the official and told him that it was lucky no one died.

“Mr Dutton raised Australia’s concern about the recent actions of the Chinese navy in the strongest possible terms,” his spokesman said.

“He called on China to respect international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and work to uphold peace and stability in the region.”

Anthony Albanese has not publicly confirmed whether he raised the incident with President Xi Jinping during his meeting with the leader at the APEC summit in San Francisco earlier this month.

“This event was unsafe and unprofessional. We communicated this through all appropriate channels and with every opportunity that was available to us,” the Prime Minister told Question Time on Tuesday.