[Text/Observer.com Guo Han] The Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson's use of original domestic cartoons to expose and condemn the indiscriminate killing of innocents by the Australian army in Afghanistan is still fermenting. Following the Australian prime minister's "jumping foot", the New Zealand prime minister, the French government "took sides to help", the United Kingdom also has parliamentarians voiced "show existence".
According to the Sydney Morning Herald, on the 1st local time, Duncan Smith, a British Conservative MP and former party leader, groundlessly accused the comic of being a "jaw-dropping" "play terrier", proving that China is "beating up" Australia and shouting that the British government "should be condemned".
"They (China) made a meme, which I think was some kind of imitation tool on the Internet, depicting an Australian soldier trying to kill a small child. This act is jaw-dropping, and I ask the Government to make it clear at the appropriate moment that it is totally unacceptable ... We should condemn this deliberate targeting and vilifying of a democratic State. ”
Screenshot of Smith's speech in the Uk House of Commons video
Smith's remarks were made during a discussion in the British House of Commons of a communications security bill banning Huawei's 5G. But he talked a lot about China-Australia relations, claiming that China "attacked Australia through a very ungranished and aggressive attitude" because the latter "called for an investigation into the origin of the covid-19 epidemic".
Young Chinese painter @匫合麒麟 has created a satirical cartoon based on real events that exposes the gruesome and barbaric crimes committed by Australian special forces in Afghanistan. On November 30, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian quoted the painting and tweeted condemning the atrocities committed by the Australian military.
As a result, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison was embarrassed and angry, publicly condemning and demanding an "apology" from the Chinese side. In this regard, our Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying responded strongly that the Australian side should first make a formal apology to the Afghan people and feel ashamed of it, and should give an account to the international community.
Screenshot of Zhao Lijian's related Tweets
Bloomberg noted that the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson's approach and response have been well received in China. Still, the article labels China as "wolf diplomacy," claiming that China "intends to please domestic audiences," "diplomats win media attention like Trump," and questioning China's "ability to build soft power commensurate with economic and military power."
British media such as Reuters, the BBC and The Guardian have linked the comic incident to the so-called background of China's "suppression" of Australia in the field of trade.
Australian soldiers brutally shoot innocent civilians in Afghanistan Video screenshot
In fact, the recent trough in China-Australia relations is precisely caused by the Australian government, including taking the lead in banning Chinese enterprises from participating in the construction of 5G networks, arbitrarily searching Chinese media in Australia, politicizing and stigmatizing normal exchanges and cooperation between China and Australia, and even politically manipulating the epidemic issue, promoting the so-called "independent international review". In addition, Australia has repeatedly adopted erroneous words and deeds on issues involving China's core interests, such as Hong Kong, Xinjiang, and Taiwan.
A spokesman for the Chinese Embassy in Australia said on the 1st that the rant of some politicians and media in Australia is completely misinterpretation and overreaction, and has no other than two purposes: one is to divert public attention from the atrocities committed by the Australian military in Afghanistan, and the other is to blame the Chinese side for the deterioration of bilateral relations between China and Australia. Perhaps another attempt is to incite nationalist sentiment in Australia.
Former Australian Deputy Foreign Secretary Richard Maud acknowledged that the rift in Australia-China relations "sees no end in sight for the time being" and that Australia, as a medium-sized country, is "fighting a rather lonely, difficult battle alone". He said Australia "needs to win over enough countries willing to publicly express support".
However, at present, the only people who are willing to officially "take sides" in Australia are the New Zealand prime minister who "expressed concerns", the French Foreign Ministry that believes that "the tweet is not worth it", and (if it can be counted) the Tweet of a certain institution in the Us White House and a coalition of anti-China parliamentarians who "poured wine on the fire" to help hype up China's temporary anti-dumping measures against Australian wine imports.
A cursory search reveals that these "gang" troops in Afghanistan have committed inhumane crimes against civilians, with reports abounding, including children and pregnant women.
BBC: French forces killed three Afghan civilians at the checkpoint, including a man, a pregnant woman and a child
Al Jazeera: The New Zealand military misled the public about the deaths of civilians in the 2010 raid on Afghanistan, where a little girl aged 8 to 10 died
Reuters: A U.S. soldier shot and killed 16 civilians in Afghanistan in 2012, including nine children, and was later sentenced to life in prison, but the victims' families were unhappy with the outcome of the trial
Perhaps they should read the editorial published in the Afghan Times on the 1st: "The suffering Afghan people welcome China's condemnation of the illegal killings (of foreign troops) in Afghanistan, and we also welcome the support of other countries for bringing the murderers of innocent Afghans to justice." ”
This article is an exclusive manuscript of the Observer Network and may not be reproduced without authorization.