All you need to know about the "disgusting fake" photo that China posted and its story with Australia
Australia calls on China to apologize for publishing a "disgusting fake" photo of its soldiers in Afghanistan
Warning before reading: This story contains an image that some may find distressing.
Australia has demanded that China apologize for posting a fake photo on a Chinese government Twitter account showing an Australian soldier killing an Afghan child.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Beijing should be "totally ashamed" of posting a "disgusting" photo.
This incident coincides with the escalation of political tensions between the two countries.
The aforementioned image claimed that Australian soldiers committed war crimes, that is, the killing of Afghan civilians and prisoners.
A report released earlier this month concluded that there was "credible information" that 25 Australian soldiers participated in the killing of 39 Afghan civilians and prisoners between 2009 and 2013.
And the investigations conducted by the Australian Ministry of Defense have led to widespread condemnation, and these allegations are subject to investigation by the Australian police.
What caused the outrage about the "fake disgust" photo published by China?
On Monday, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman, Legian Zhao, released a fake photo of an Australian soldier holding a bloodied knife near a child who was seen carrying a lamb.
The photo appears to be a reference to past allegations that Australian elite forces used knives to kill two 14-year-old Afghan children. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation said the Australian Defense Forces had not confirmed the allegations.
However, the Australian Defense Forces have not found "credible evidence" of unlawful killings and "combatant culture" within elite units.
Allegations included that junior soldiers were encouraged to shoot prisoners in their first killing.
“I was shocked at the killing of Afghan civilians and prisoners by Australian soldiers. We strongly condemn such actions and call for their accountability,” Zhao’s post said.
How did Australia respond to the "disgusting fake" photo released by China
Australia asked Twitter to delete the tweet, describing it as containing "misleading information." Morrison described the participation as "really disgusting, very offensive, and truly outrageous."
"The Chinese government should feel completely ashamed of this participation. It reduces their value in the eyes of the world. It is a wrong image and a terrible slander against our armed forces," he added.
"Australia has launched a transparent process to investigate alleged war crimes, as is expected of a" democratic, liberal "country, he said.
He acknowledged that there are "no doubt" tensions between the two countries. But he said, "This is not how it should be handled."
Beijing warned that other countries in the world are watching its actions towards Australia.
This is another new deterioration in the two countries' already tense relations between these two trading partners.
The Chinese spokesman said last week that the war crimes report "fully exposed the hypocrisy of Western countries that have always chanted (the chant) of human rights and freedoms."
However, Shaima Khalil, the BBC's Australia correspondent, says that Chow's tweet shocked Scott Morrison due to his totally non-diplomatic rhetoric so far. The Australian prime minister said the Chinese government should feel "ashamed" of this post as "a shameful and disgusting slander".
This is another indication of the deterioration of relations between Australia and China at a time of severe tension between the two countries, and Australian exporters are very concerned about additional customs duties that China may impose on Australian goods in light of the escalating conflict between the two countries, according to our correspondence.
The prime minister acknowledged that the two countries faced problems but that tweet, he said, went too far.
What is behind this escalation of the "fake disgust" photo published by China
Bilateral relations between the two countries have witnessed a rapid deterioration this year after Australia led calls for an investigation into the origin of the Coronavirus epidemic, and the ongoing debate over the prevailing allegation that there was interference in Australian affairs.
In recent months, China applied a series of economic strikes - including halting trade and tariffs - to dozens of Australian imports, including alcoholic beverages, barley and beef.
Australia described China's actions as "economic coercion", stressing that it will not change its policies.
On Monday, Morrison confirmed that senior Chinese ministers still refused Australia's requests for meetings between the two sides.
BBC
