What the Chinese sonar incident that injured Australian navy divers tells us about Xi’s relationship with Albanese and the West

It was only a fortnight ago that Anthony Albanese was rubbing shoulders with the Chinese leadership, including powerful President Xi Jinping, and being hailed with effusive praise by the country’s state-run media. After years of strained ties, when official communications were all but cut off, the frosty relationship appeared to be thawing. Less than a week after that historic trip, Albanese was again talking and warmly shaking hands with Xi, this time in San Francisco on the sidelines of the APEC summit. But only days before their second chat it turns out Australian navy divers were injured when a Chinese…