China navy used sonar pulses against divers, Australia says

Australia has accused China's navy of using sonar pulses in an incident in international waters that resulted in Australian divers suffering injuries.

The Australian defence minister said a Chinese warship had resorted to "unsafe and unprofessional" actions during the encounter off Japan earlier this week.

The warship approached an Australian frigate as divers were clearing fishing nets from its propellers, he said.

The Chinese ship then emitted dangerous sonar pulses, the minister added.