Australian PM sends message to Chinese community amid spat with Beijing over fake image

Amid spat with China, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison in a WeChat message said that the diplomatic dispute between Beijing and Canberra will not diminish respect for the Chinese-Australian community. Morrison acknowledged the contributions made by Chinese migrants in making Australia successful and also hoped that the community will continue to play an important role in making Australia a "multicultural nation". 

Read: New Zealand Joins Australia In Denouncing China's Tweet

Morrison's post on the Chinese social media platform comes amid soaring tensions between Beijing and Canberra over a morphed image of an Australian soldier posted by a Chinese diplomat. Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian on Monday shared a digitally manipulated picture of an Australian soldier holding a knife against the throat of an Afghan child, which sparked global outrage. Australia demanded an apology from China and asked Twitter to remove the post. 

Read: China Accuses Australia Of Diverting Attentions From Soldiers' Killing Afghan People

China refuses to apologise

China has rejected Australia's call for an apology, while Twitter has also refused to take down the picture saying it has marked the post as "sensitive" but can't remove the image because it doesn't violate any rules. Lijian has pinned his tweet on Twitter, which has so far garnered over 57,000 likes. Lijian's post was in reference to the recently released Brereton report that has uncovered cases of alleged war crimes committed in Afghanistan by soldiers of Australian special forces. Twitter is banned in China, but Chinese diplomats and editors have been long using it to spew venom against foes. 

Read: China Refuses To Apologise For Fake Image, Accuses Australia Of 'merciless Killing'

Morrison in his WeChat message also hit out at China saying as a "free, democratic, and liberal" country, Australia has initiated a criminal investigation into the allegations. The Brereton inquiry revealed at least 39 cases of alleged murders of Afghans by Australian special forces, who were deployed as part of NATO in the war-torn country from 2005 to 2016. The report sparked global outrage and prompted Australia into launching an investigation. 

Meanwhile, Australia-China relations on Friday took another blow after Beijing imposed tariffs of up to 212 percent on Australian wine imports. The tariffs not just impacted Australian export to one of its largest markets, but it also took a toll on the $1 billion Australian wine industry. China has accused Australia of illegally dumping wine into the market.

Read: Twitter Refuses To Remove Fake Picture Of Australian Soldier Posted By Chinese Official