China refuses to apologise for fake image, accuses Australia of 'merciless killing'

China has refused to apologise to Australia for posting a controversial doctored image depicting an Australian soldier cutting the throat of an Afghan child. Even though Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison had slammed Beijing for the “outrageous and disgusting slur”, Chinese Foreign Ministry on November 30 said that Canberra should be ‘ashamed’ of its soldiers ‘committing such atrocities’. China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying even questioned the reason behind Australia’s  ‘strong reaction’ after another Chinese government representative excoriated the island nation for its military’s alleged brutality in Afghanistan. 

"The Australian side has been reacting so strongly to my colleague's tweet," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said during a briefing Monday. "Why is that? Do they think that their merciless killing of Afghan civilians is justified but the condemnation of such ruthless brutality is not? Afghan lives matter!"

“Shouldn’t the Australian government feel ashamed that some of its soldiers on official duty in Afghanistan committed such cruelties?”, she was quoted by ANI.

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China-Australia feud on doctored image

This latest feud on the tweet by the other Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian further deteriorated the relations between Australia and China. Zhao had reportedly posted a significantly doctored image and posted it with a caption, “Shocked by the murder of Afghan civilians & prisoners by Australian soldiers. We strongly condemn such acts, & call for holding them accountable.” The micro-blogging platform has also restricted the image with a label saying, “potentially sensitive content” but the tweet still remains pinned on Zhao’s Twitter account. 

The tweet with the fake image was posted by a Chinese government representative in response to a report published last month alleging Australian war crimes. The Australian Defence Force had reportedly said that it had found “credible” information about the involvement of 25 soldiers in the killing of at least 39 Afghan civilians and prisoners between 2009 and 2013. This was followed by a widespread criticism for Australia that was eventually joined by China with the rendered image which then further triggered furious reactions. 

Earlier, Morrison had said that Chian should be “ashamed” for sharing the “repugnant” image and demanded an apology. Even though Beijing has categorically refused to apologise, Zhao’s tweet had also prompted New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to raise concerns. The New Zeland leader had said, "This is an image that wasn't factual. It wasn't correct. And so in keeping with our principled position where images like that are used, we will raise those concerns and we'll do it directly."

But the Chinese Embassy in Australia attacked Morrison and the Australian government for ‘deflecting public attention’ and ‘worsening bilateral ties’.

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