Watermark detail means Chinese government may have commissioned sick image

It’s the sick, doctored picture that kicked off a diplomatic nightmare – and one tiny clue could reveal an alarming new possibility.

There has been a new twist in the feud between China and Australia following the emergence of a fresh theory about the explosive doctored image shared by a Chinese official this week.

Relations between the two nations hit a new low this week after Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian shared a falsified image on Twitter of an Australian soldier holding a bloodied knife to a child’s throat.

It was a provocative and blatant reference to recent allegations that Australian soldiers had committed war crimes, including killing 39 Afghans, which were revealed in the Brereton inquiry last month.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison slammed the “truly repugnant” image and demanded an apology, but China has doubled down on its attack against Australia, with China’s government mouthpiece The Global Times publishing a new anti-Australian cartoon overnight.

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Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian has sparked a diplomatic war of words. Picture: Reuters/Carlos Garcia Rawlins

Now a new theory regarding the origins of the shocking tweet has emerged, with an expert claiming one tiny detail reveals it could have been directly commissioned by China.

The image was created by graphic artist Fu Yu, also known as Qilin.

But while the original picture contained a watermark, the version shared by Mr Zhao did not.

According to Xiaoning Mo from the ABC’s Asia Pacific Newsroom, that implies the picture had not simply been copied from an online source - suggesting it could have been a deliberate plan by the Chinese government to attack Australia.

“That image carries his Weibo name’s watermark at the bottom right of that image.

“Interestingly, the image that was shared by a Chinese spokesperson on his Twitter account looks like an original image without the watermark,” he told the ABC.

“If a normal person like me – if I need to grab an image from that particular Weibo account – that image would definitely carry a watermark at the bottom right of that image.”

Mr Mo has reached out to the artist directly to ask if the government had requested an original version.

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Prime Minister Scott Morrison has slammed the “repugnant” image. Picture: Adam Taylor

Mr Fu, who is known for creating political graphics, describes himself as a “wolf-warrior artist”.

He personally addressed the scandal in a video posted to Chinese social media platform Weibo this week, mocking Mr Morrison’s response.

“I get scolded by this Australian person called Morrison, and he demands my apology,” Mr Fu said in the video, according to the ABC.

“ … I would advise Morrison to face reality, and put his attention and effort on his domestic affairs.”

According to the Global Times, Mr Fu created the image on November 22 and was motivated by a “sense of humanitarianism” and “fury” after reading about the alleged war crimes.

FEUD WITH CHINA

The latest stoush with China has sparked calls for Australian consumers to boycott Chinese products this Christmas, with One Nation’s Pauline Hanson urging Aussies to hit China where it hurts in retaliation to “China’s recent economic attacks against Australia”.

However, the relationship between the two nations has been in decline since the US – a close ally of Australia – entered a trade war with the economic giant in 2018.

That year, Australia angered China by becoming the first nation to ban Chinese smartphone heavyweight Huawei from its 5G network over national security concerns.

Relations also nosedived earlier this year when Mr Morrison called for an independent inquiry into the origins of the lethal coronavirus pandemic.

Since then, China has dealt a series of trade blows, with everything from barley to timber and rock lobsters being slapped with sanctions.

Most recently, China decided to impose tariffs of up to 212 per cent on Australian wine imports, a move set to have a devastating impact on the industry.

In November, China also leaked a bombshell dossier listing 14 reasons why it was “angry” at Australia.