Morrison strikes more conciliatory tone on China

A diplomatic war of words between Australia and China over a graphic tweet seemed to finally cool on Thursday as Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison struck a much more conciliatory tone. Morrison had expressed indignation and anger at a tweet posted by a Chinese official that showed a fake image of an Australian soldier holding a bloodied knife to a child's throat.

Morrison called the tweet "truly repugnant" and "deeply offensive" and demanded an apology from China. Morrison posted his reply on the Chinese messaging app WeChat, which then deleted his response on the platform, on the grounds it could distort historical events and confuse the public.

The Chinese official aimed to draw attention to alleged unwarranted killings and abuses by Australian soldiers during the conflict in Afghanistan. China stood on its position saying that Australia should be the one examining its actions. On Thursday, Morrison took a much different approach, telling reporters in Canberra that his aim was for the two countries to have a "happy co-existence."  "My position and my government's position is to seek constructive engagement," he said. Morrison added that Australia's relationship with China "is a mutually beneficial one." China is Australia's largest trading partner. 

(Image Credits: AP)