Name: Scott Morrison demands China remove post detailing SAS war crimes
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Scott Morrison demands China remove post detailing SAS war crimes

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China should be 'totally ashamed': Scott Morrison demands China take down postWe’re sorry, this feature is currently unavailable. We’re working to restore it. Please try again later.DismisscloseAdvertisementBy Log in, or to save articles for later.Normal text sizeLarger text sizeVery large text sizeAdvertisementPrime Minister Scott Morrison has strongly condemned a propaganda image shared by the Chinese Foreign Ministry on social media and demanded it be removed in a sharp escalation of Australia's dispute with China.The ministry shared the doctored image of alleged Australian war crimes in Afghanistan on Monday. The image purports to show a special forces soldier slitting the throat of an Afghan child with its head wrapped in an Australian flag. "Don't be afraid we are coming to bring you peace," words placed over the image state.In his strongest comments on any Chinese government action since he became Prime Minister, Mr Morrison said the image was "truly offensive" and "repugnant"."The Chinese government should be totally ashamed of this post. It diminishes them in the world's eyes," he said."It is an absolutely outrageous and disgusting slur. Australia is seeking an apology from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and we are seeking it be removed from Twitter."Foreign Ministry spokesman, Zhao Lijian, said in the post that he was "shocked by the murder of Afghan civilians and prisoners by Australian soldiers."We strongly condemn such acts and call for holding them accountable," the post accompanying the image said.The illustration was created by Wuheqilin, a self-styled Chinese "wolf warrior" artist, who came to prominence for his pro-Beijing illustrations during the Hong Kong protests last year.AdvertisementThe Chinese Communist Party last week criticised Australia's record after the found Australian special forces soldiers allegedly committed 39 murders in Afghanistan."These reports point to the hypocrisy of some western countries who like to consider themselves as guardians of human rights and freedom," Zhao said then.China has detained up to 1 million Muslim Uighurs in re-education camps in Xinjiang and been criticised for its crackdown in Hong Kong. New national security laws imposed by Beijing on the former British colony punish dissent with sentences of up to life in prison.The decision by an official government spokesman to share the image represents another shift in China's ongoing dispute with Australia that now covers both the trade and defence sectors.China has hit half-a-dozen Australian industries with trade strikes this year. Last week it effectively by imposing tariffs of up to 200 per cent. It has also blocked coal, timber and seafood shipments from entering the country, threatening up to $20 billion in trade each year.The Chinese embassy has issued and urged the Morrison government to reverse its policies on foreign interference, Huawei and the South China Sea. The Australian government has said it has no intention of changing its policies or positions.Russia's Foreign Ministry has backed up China's criticism of Australia's war record, accusing Australia of failing to uphold the rules-based international order after the finding's of the four-year Brereton inquiry were made public."This is a truly shocking report," Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said."It makes us reassess the true meaning of the official line pronounced by Canberra to protect the rules-based world order."Our Morning Edition newsletter is a curated guide to the most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up to The Sydney Morning Herald’s newsletter , The Age’s , Brisbane Times’ , and WAtoday’s .Log in, or to save articles for later. is the North Asia correspondent for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.Advertisement

China should be 'totally ashamed': Scott Morrison demands China take down postWe’re sorry, this feature is currently unavailable. We’re working to restore it. Please try again later.DismisscloseAdvertisementBy Log in, or to save articles for later.Normal text sizeLarger text sizeVery large text sizeAdvertisementPrime Minister Scott Morrison has strongly condemned a propaganda image shared by the Chinese Foreign Ministry on social media and demanded it be removed in a sharp escalation of Australia's dispute with China.The ministry shared the doctored image of alleged Australian war crimes in...

Scott Morrison demands China remove post detailing SAS war crimes

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