Naval divers working to clear fishing nets from the HMAS Toowoomba's propellers were forced to exit the water when a Chinese warship began operating its hull-mounted sonar, in an incident labelled "unsafe and unprofessional".
That’s not exactly how it works. There are “territorial waters” which are entirely under the control of the state. And there is the “exclusive economic zone” (EEZ) outside of that, where the state has rights to resources. But the surface is “international waters”. This incident happened in the EEZ.
EEZ does not restrict the operations of other boats, as has been repeatedly established by the US in the Taiwan Strait, the Paracel Islands, the Spratly Islands, and elsewhere in the South China Sea.
It’s either international waters or it isn’t.
If it’s international waters, then this isn’t a story. If it’s not, then China violated the sovereignty of a foreign state’s territorial waters.
That’s not exactly how it works. There are “territorial waters” which are entirely under the control of the state. And there is the “exclusive economic zone” (EEZ) outside of that, where the state has rights to resources. But the surface is “international waters”. This incident happened in the EEZ.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exclusive_economic_zone
EEZ does not restrict the operations of other boats, as has been repeatedly established by the US in the Taiwan Strait, the Paracel Islands, the Spratly Islands, and elsewhere in the South China Sea.