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- The Australian government demanded an apology after a Chinese official posted a false image of an Australian soldier on Twitter.
- Prime Minister Scott Morrison described the image, which shows the soldier holding a knife to the throat of an Afghan child, as “truly disgusting.”
- Tensions between the two nations have risen since Australia called for an international investigation into the origins of the coronavirus pandemic.
SYDNEY – Australia’s prime minister said a fake image of an Australian soldier posted on a Chinese official’s Twitter account was “truly disgusting,” and Canberra was demanding that it be removed amid deteriorating relations between the two countries. .
Scott Morrison called a press conference to condemn the publication of the image, which showed an Australian soldier with a knife to the throat of an Afghan boy, and said Canberra was seeking an apology from Beijing.
The Australian government has asked Twitter to remove the tweet, posted on Monday by Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian, Morrison said.
“It is absolutely outrageous and cannot be justified in any way,” Morrison said.
He said:
The Chinese government should be completely ashamed of this post. It diminishes them in the eyes of the world.
Australia’s relationship with China has deteriorated since Canberra called for an international investigation into the origins of the coronavirus pandemic.
Earlier this month, China outlined a list of complaints about Australia’s foreign investment, national security and human rights policy, saying Canberra needed to correct its actions to restore the bilateral relationship with its largest trading partner.
Trade sanctions series
Morrison said countries around the world were watching Beijing respond to tensions in Australia’s relationship with China.
In the latest in a series of trade sanctions, China announced on Friday that it will impose temporary anti-dumping duties of up to 212.1% on imported wine from Australia, a move Canberra has called unjustified and linked to diplomatic complaints.
Australia has told 13 special forces soldiers facing dismissal in connection with an independent report on alleged unlawful killings in Afghanistan, the country’s army chief said on Friday.
Zhao wrote on Twitter:
Shocked by the killing of Afghan civilians and prisoners by Australian soldiers. We strongly condemn such acts and ask that they be held accountable.
His Twitter account had posted the same message, but without the false image of the soldier and the boy, on Friday.
Morrison said Australia had established a “transparent and honest” process to investigate allegations against accused soldiers and this “is what a free, democratic and liberal country does.”
Australia had “patiently sought” to address tensions in the relationship with China and wanted a direct discussion among ministers, he said.
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