China’s Foreign Ministry has rejected calls from the Australian Prime Minister to apologize for a heated tweet over allegations of military crime, stressing that Australia should have apologized for the loss of life in Afghanistan.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison demanded that the Chinese government apologize and remove a “disgusting” foreign service tweet that showed an Australian soldier cutting an Afghan child’s throat.
Chinese Government Should Be ‘Ashamed’, said Morrison
As outrage over the digital digital image threatens to deepen tensions between the two countries to a low level, Morrison said on Monday the Chinese government “should be ashamed of this,” citing Beijing’s global decline.
He said his government – which had been at loggerheads with Beijing over various trade actions taken by China against Australian exports this year – had expressed his anger directly at the Chinese ambassador to Australia and would contact Twitter to demand a reduction of the post “for good cause”.
Monday’s tweet from Zhao Lijian, a spokesman for China’s foreign ministry, held the latest report on a four-year official investigation into the conduct of Australian special forces forces in Afghanistan.
Zhao wrote that he was “deeply shocked by the killings of Afghan people and prisoners by Australian soldiers” and said that they should be held accountable.
The tweet was accompanied by a provocative image that appeared to show an Australian soldier cutting the throat of a young man with a sheep, with the words “Fear not, we bring you peace!”
The digitalized image also shows the large Australian flag behind a cover soldier who appears to be in many physical conditions.
China Refuses To Offer An Apology
At a regular press conference of the Foreign Minister on Monday, Zhao did not appear. Instead Hua Chunying, the department’s information director, spoke to the media, repeating Zhao’s tweet.
“The Australian side is very responsive to our partner’s tweet – Does this mean they think the Afghan genocide is justified? Afghan life is important … shouldn’t Australian soldiers feel ashamed? “Hua said, according to ABC’s Bill Birtles.
Hua said Australian soldiers had committed “serious crimes”, citing some of the findings of Brereton’s report, and that the Australian government “should apologize”.
Prior to the release of Brereton’s report earlier this month, Morrison called on Afghanistan’s president, Ashraf Ghani, and “expressed deep sorrow at the misconduct of some Australian forces,” Ghani’s office said at the time.
Releasing the report, Australia’s defense chief, General Angus Campbell, said he had “humbly and uncompromisingly” apologized to the people of Afghanistan on behalf of the security forces.
Earlier, Morrison told reporters in Canberra: “The Chinese government should be ashamed of this post. It reduces them in the eyes of the world.
“It is a false image and a disgrace to our great defense forces and to the men and women who have served in this uniform for over a century. There is no doubt that there are tensions between China and Australia, but this is not how you deal with them. ”
Morrison also called for a resumption of cold-blood talks between Australian and Chinese government ministers since the beginning of the year, after Beijing opposed the Morrison government’s direct requests for an independent international inquiry into the origins and administration of Covid-19.
Morrison revealed that he had been seeking talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping. He said he hoped “this tragic incident” could lead to a kind of resetting where the conversation could be restarted, unconditionally – that we could sit down and start talking properly “.
He said the issue was not just about the two countries involved, but about how other nations looked at how China handled Australia’s efforts to protect its sovereignty and uphold its values.
Hu Xijin, editor-in-chief of China’s national news program Global Times, said Morrison had no right to hate because of “the use of this cartoon” and apologies were “irrational and shameless”.
Comment was sought from the Chinese embassy in Australia and the Beijing Foreign Ministry.
Other Tensions
The latest intervention comes amid a tense trade situation between China and Australia, with the Morrison government giving a very strong signal that it plans to lodge a complaint with the World Trade Organization over large amounts of Australian barley.
Beijing has repeatedly argued with the Australian government over the Chinese government’s human rights record, including the massive Uighurs arrests in Xinjiang province.
After a four-year investigation, Maj Gen Paul Brereton has obtained credible information confirming the killing of 39 Afghans – prisoners, farmers and other people – by 25 Australian special forces soldiers, either principals or accessories.
The Australian government has set up a special investigative office to create documents that will be used for prosecution in Australian courts.
Morrison said the Australian government was facing the allegations in accordance with the law and considered innocent until proven guilty, but also confirmed that “the actions of a few… do not reflect the many thousands of others” who have worked in Afghanistan.
Morrison said no decision had been made on whether to reconcile the issue given to special forces operating in Afghanistan between 2007 and 2013.
The removal of the document was a step in the direction of the military’s defense chief, Gen Angus Campbell, who had previously said he would recommend it to the governor-general.
