Chinese diplomat lashes Australia over warships in South China Sea

The incident involving HMAS Toowoomba and a Chinese destroyer in the East China Sea a fortnight ago has been a setback in the otherwise improved relationship between Canberra and Beijing. The Australian government claimed the Chinese ship ignored signals that navy divers were in the water trying to clear fishing nets off HMAS Toowoomba's propeller when the Chinese vessel turned its underwater sonar on, with a diver suffering minor injuries. Mr Albanese has been under pressure over his response, with the opposition accusing him of failing to sufficiently back Australian military personnel. Mr Albanese has evaded questions on whether he…