New Zealand has joined Australia in denouncing a graphic tweet posted by a Chinese official that shows a false image of a smiling Australian soldier holding a bloody knife to the throat of a child.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said Tuesday that New Zealand has raised its concerns directly with Chinese authorities.
“This is an image that was not real. It was not correct. And so, in accordance with our principled position using images like that, we will raise those concerns and do it directly, ”Ardern told reporters.
China has not retracted the tweet and said there will be no apology.
Ardern’s criticism was quieter than Australia’s. He was faced with an uneasy choice of how far to get involved in a conflict between New Zealand’s closest ally, Australia, and its biggest trading partner, China.
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Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Monday called the image “disgusting” and demanded an apology from the Chinese government. The post pointed to alleged abuses by Australian soldiers during the conflict in Afghanistan.
The incident further exacerbates strained relations between Australia and China.
The image, which appeared to show the soldier slitting the child’s throat, was released by Zhao Lijian, a spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry. He wrote a caption with his tweet: “Shocked by the killing of Afghan civilians and prisoners by Australian soldiers. We strongly condemn such acts and ask that they take responsibility for them. ”
He was referring to a disturbing report from the Australian military earlier this month that found evidence that elite Australian troops illegally killed 39 Afghan prisoners, farmers and civilians during the Afghanistan conflict. The report recommended that 19 soldiers be referred to the federal police for a criminal investigation.
When asked about the issue in a daily briefing, Foreign Ministry spokesman Hua Chunying blamed the Australian side.
“What Australia needs to do is think deeply, bring the perpetrators to justice, formally apologize to the Afghan people and make a solemn promise to the international community that they will never again commit such terrible crimes,” Hua said.
Morrison said Zhao’s tweet was “absolutely outrageous” and a terrible insult to the Australian military.
It is truly disgusting. It is deeply offensive to all Australians, all Australians who have served in that uniform, ”he told reporters in Canberra. “The Chinese government should be totally ashamed of this publication. It diminishes them in the eyes of the world. ”Morrison said his government reached out to Twitter to ask him to remove the post. The post had a warning label on Tuesday, but it was still visible. Zhao’s account comes with a label of Twitter indicating that it is a Chinese government account.
Despite the fact that China blocks Twitter and other US social media platforms within the county, Chinese diplomats and state media have established a strong presence on them.
Zhao was criticized by the United States in March after tweeting a conspiracy theory that American soldiers may have brought the coronavirus to China. He is seen as a prominent representative of China’s new and acute assertive foreign relations tension.
Morrison acknowledged that there were tensions between China and Australia.
“But that’s not how you deal with them,” he said. “Australia has tried patiently to address the tensions that exist in our relationship in a mature way, in a responsible manner, seeking engagement at both the leadership and ministerial levels.” The gap between the two nations has grown since the Australian government called for an independent investigation into the origins of the coronavirus pandemic. Since then, China has imposed tariffs and other restrictions on several Australian exports.
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