China-Australia ties sink to 50-year low after Zhao Lijian’s tweet

Diplomatic relations with China have plunged to the lowest level since Gough Whitlam established ties in 1973.

Scott Morrison says the government is seeking an apology from Beijing over the ‘outrageous post’ by Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs deputy director-general Zhao Lijian. Picture: Adam Taylor

Australia’s relationship with China has sunk to its lowest point in almost 50 years after Scott Morrison lashed out at Beijing over its use of a “repugnant” and “appalling” fake image of an Australian soldier slitting the throat of an Afghan child.

In a dramatic escalation of tensions between Canberra and Beijing, the Prime Minister demanded China immediately remove the offensive tweet and called on the Communist nation to reset its aggressive posture and engage in dialogue “without condition”.

The social media post shared by Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs deputy director-general Zhao Lijian continued Beijing’s increased aggression against Australia and plunged diplomatic relations with Communist China to its lowest level since Gough Whitlam established ties in 1973.

Mr Morrison said the government was seeking an apology from Beijing over the “outrageous post”, which followed months of trade and diplomatic threats and the release of a list of “grievances” criticising Australia’s foreign interference crackdown and calls for a global inquiry into the origins of COVID-19.

“We are also seeking (the post’s) removal immediately and have also contacted Twitter to take it down immediately,” the Prime Minister said. “It is a false image and a terrible slur on our great defence forces and the men and women who have served in that uniform for over 100 years.

“There are undoubtedly tensions that exist between China and Australia. But this is not how you deal with them. Australia has patiently sought to seek to address the tensions that exist in our relationship in a mature way, in a responsible way, by seeking engagement at both leader and ministerial level, to ensure that we can openly discuss what are clear sources of tension in this relationship.”

The Morrison government moved swiftly to rebuke China. Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade secretary Frances Adamson called in ambassador Cheng Jingye. Australia’s ambassador to China, Graham Fletcher, also communicated the government’s concerns directly with officials in Beijing.

A senior Australian official said on Monday night that back-channel diplomatic signals for a potential rapprochement were “not encouraging”.

 

Responding to Mr Morrison’s demand for an apology, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying on Monday night called on Australia to “apologise” to the Afghan people.

“The Australian side is reacting so strongly to my colleague’s tweet,” she said. “Does this mean they think the cruel killing of Afghan lives is justified? Afghan lives matter … shouldn’t the Australian soldiers feel ashamed?”

The Australian understands the high-level Chinese disinformation tweet, aimed at weaponising the Brereton Afghanistan report, was raised at a meeting of the national security committee of cabinet on Monday afternoon.

Former prime ministers John Howard and Tony Abbott strongly backed the Prime Minister’s hardline demand that China withdraw and apologise over the fabricated photo.

Anthony Albanese also told parliament he joined Mr Morrison in condemning the tweet, describing it as “gratuitous, inflammatory and deeply offensive”. “Australia’s condemnation of this image is above politics, and we all stand as a nation in condemning it,” the Opposition Leader said.

The Australian understands Mr Morrison had been talking with Australian wine exporters in relation to China’s tariff crackdown, which came into effect on Saturday, before he was alerted to the tweet by a staff member in isolation with him in The Lodge.

Mr Morrison was said to have been outraged by the image and moved swiftly to arrange a press statement within 45 minutes.

Mr Morrison, who has not had any engagement with senior Chinese officials since meeting Li Keqiang in Bangkok last November, said he was “extremely proud of all Australians who pull a uniform on for Australia”. “Where there are alleged events that have taken place that require action, well, we have set up the honest and transparent processes for that to take place,” he said. “That is what a free, democratic, liberal country does.”

Senior government officials believe the tweet was part of a longer-term campaign to provoke Mr Morrison.

International leaders are understood to have privately extended their support to Mr Morrison in the past week, as Beijing ramped up its diplomatic and trade actions against Australia.

A senior government source said China was not expected to apologise, but the Morrison government was retaining a “cool-headed” position. The source said the Chinese government had now lost any moral authority it believed it had following the release of its 14-point list of grievances by its Canberra embassy and the offensive tweet.

Mr Howard, who maintained high-level contact with senior Beijing figures as prime minister, recently repeated his advice for the Morrison government to develop face-to-face engagement with Chinese leaders. But on Monday he told The Australian he was “totally behind” Mr Morrison’s call for an apology and a withdrawal of the offending Twitter image.

“It is a terrible insult to our country and a dreadful slur on the service people who wear the Australian uniform of whom we are immensely proud,” he said.

Mr Abbott, who secured a trade deal with Beijing, said: “If the Chinese government wants to retain a modicum of respect in this country it will order its spokesman to withdraw and apologise,”

ADDITIONAL REPORTING: BEN PACKHAM