China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Lijian Zhao posted a fabricated image of an Australian soldier with a bloody knife next to a child, triggering a furious response, and a demand for an apology, from Australia.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Beijing should be ‘utterly ashamed’ for sharing the ‘repugnant’ image.
According to the BBC, the incident comes amid escalating political tensions between the two countries, and follows an Australian Defence Force (ADF) report – now being investigated by police – claiming there was ‘credible information’ that 25 Australian soldiers were involved in the murders of 39 Afghan civilians and prisoners between 2009 and 2013.
However, the image posted by senior Chinese official Lijian Zhao appeared to be a reference to previously reported allegations that elite Australian soldiers used knives to murder two 14-year-old Afghan boys. It is understood the ADF report did not substantiate those allegations.