Prime Minister Scott Morrison has woken up to China’s state-run English newspaper calling him “ridiculously arrogant” and advising that he should “slap himself in the face”.
Looks like Mr Morrison’s To Do list just got a bit longer.
The editor of the newspaper, Hu Xijin, made the comments after the PM demanded an apology over Monday’s Brereton report meme.
For those who missed it, o, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijan posted a brutal, doctored ‘meme’ to Twitter which featured an Australian soldier holding a knife to the throat of a child.
“Don’t be afraid, we are coming to bring you peace,” the caption read.
The meme is assumed to be a response to the Brereton report which was released last month. In it,,a number of horrific allegations came to light including at least one instance of SAS soldiers slitting the throats of children.
After the post was released Mr Morrison gave a press conference calling the move “truly repugnant” and demanded an apology.
“It is deeply offensive to every Australian, every Australian who has served in that uniform, every Australian who serves in that uniform today, everyone who has pulled on that uniform and served with Australians overseas from whatever nation, that they have done that. It is utterly outrageous and it cannot be justified on any basis whatsoever,” he said on Monday.
“The Chinese Government should be totally ashamed of this post. It diminishes them in the world’s eyes.”
Hu Xijin wrote an opinion piece to our PM saying, “no matter what harsh words people use on them for the murder, the Australian government should have accepted it. How dare they talk back and say they are offended!”
It is a popular cartoon that condemns the Australian Special Forces ’s brutal murder of 39 Afghan civilians. On what ground does Morrison feel angry over the use of this cartoon by the spokesperson of Chinese FM? It’s ridiculous and shameless that he demanded China to apologize. pic.twitter.com/QkBSXyf1uY
— Hu Xijin 胡锡进 (@HuXijin_GT) November 30, 2020
The investigation is still ongoing and no soldiers have been convicted thus far.
Not sure we currently have a good relationship with China right now though.
Image: Getty Images