China’s ambassador to Australia, Xiao Qian, denies that the Chinese warship Ningbo ignored the risk to Australian navy divers by transmitting a sonar pulse last November as it was tracking an Australian frigate, HMAS Toowoomba. The pulse injured the ears of some of the divers.
The question came up during his recent press conference, reported on by Andrew Tillett of the Australian Financial Review (January 17, 2024). Xiao suggests that maybe Japan was to blame, especially in light of how impeccably considerate of the welfare of others China’s military men would have been.
HMAS Toowoomba was in international waters in Japan’s exclusive economic zone off the Japanese coast, but Mr Xiao said the advice he received from the Chinese navy was if Ningbo had transmitted sonar pulses it would have killed or severely injured divers.
“The Chinese navy really took some measures to monitor and find out what this Australian navy ship was doing so close to the Chinese maritime border,” Mr Xiao said.
“But they did not initiate the so-called sonar against the divers. They said should they have initiated the sonar from the Chinese ship against the divers, it would cause immediate fatalities, at least major casualties to the divers.
“Professionals would know how danger [sic] it would be.”
So where did the sonar blast—excuse me, “so-called” sonar blast, alleged sonar blast—come from? Xiao points the finger at a warship from a “third country” supposedly in the vicinity at the time, the third country being Japan. “Whether or not there was sonar from the other party, we are not sure. Perhaps our Australian colleagues can find out what really is the truth,” Xiao says.
Yeah, look into that, Australia. Try to determine which of the two countries, China or Japan, is currently doing the most to try to take over the world; which one chronically makes the most expansive claims of territory, territory that ends up extending right up to and into the exclusive economic zones of other countries; which one, to assert its claims, is aiming lasers at the ships of other countries and firing water cannons at the ships of other countries and ramming the ships of other countries; which one is clogging the Taiwan Strait with military planes and ships to try to terrify Taiwan.
On this matter, Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles is more credible than Xiao or any of the Chinese ambassadors, who all read from the same threadbare, moldy, moth-eaten, mendacious script. In November of last year, ABC Australia reported (November 17, 2023):
HMAS Toowoomba had been operating in international waters off Japan in support of a United Nations mission to enforce sanctions when the incident occurred on Tuesday.
Naval divers were working to clear fishing nets from the Australian frigate’s propellers, when the Chinese warship began operating its hull-mounted sonar.
According to Defence Minister Richard Marles, the Australian frigate provided multiple warnings to vessels in the area that diving operations were underway.
“Despite acknowledging Toowoomba’s communications, the Chinese vessel approached at a closer range,” he said.
“Soon after, it was detected operating its hull-mounted sonar in a manner that posed a risk to the safety of the Australian divers, who were forced to exit the water.”
In his recent remarks, Ambassador Xiao Qian also made clear that China is resolutely upset with Australia for congratulating the winner of Taiwan’s recent presidential election, Lai Ching-te, China’s least favorite candidate in the contest.
During a wide-ranging press conference to mark the new year, Ambassador Xiao Qian also revealed China had lodged a diplomatic protest over Australia’s note of congratulations for Taiwan’s new leader, denied Beijing paid off Nauru, and gave no firm indication when the final trade sanctions would be lifted against Australian exports.
China’s diplomats have filed protests with all the countries whose governments had the temerity to congratulate Lai.
The question of the payoff of Nauru also came up in the press conference. Who is this guy Nauru and why did China pay him off? Turns out Nauru is a Micronesian country—well, is recognized with its 13,000 or so inhabitants as a country by encyclopedia articles and China, anyway—and recently decided to switch sides after, according to Xiao Qian, not getting cash from China, which, if only it were actual, was more than the amount of cash it had been getting from Taiwan. Whatever its motive for now appeasing China, Nauru notified Taiwan a couple of days ago that it would no longer be recognizing Taiwan as an independent nation but from now on would be considering it to be an inalienable part of China.
So Taiwan has lost Nauru. Yet another blow. Well, don’t let it get you down, Taiwan. You will survive. Somehow.
