Global Times publishes new offensive cartoon as tensions boil
The Global Times, a Chinese state-owned newspaper has not relinquished its attacks against Australia as they publish a brutal new graphic.
The new tabloid features an Australian Defence Force member holding a sign with the words “human rights” while grinning for a camera – out of frame he is standing on a covered, bloodied body.
The cartoon was created by artist Liu Rui and is a reference to the recent war crime allegations that includes the brutal slaying of 39 Afghans.
The new cartoon is the latest of three and indicates China shows no sign of backing down first in its feud with Australia.
It came to a head this week after Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian shared a doctored image on Twitter that depicted an Australian soldier holding a knife to the throat of a young child.
On December 1, the newspaper released another cartoon that showed a kangaroo in a suit with a bloodied knife next to it by artist Chen Xia.
That article demanded Mr Morrison and the Australian Government “take full responsibility for the deteriorating relationship with China” and claimed “Australia exaggerated and distorted Zhao’s comment and use of cartoon over the crime of Australian troops”, calling it “a false image”.
“The country that owes an apology is Australia – to China. And to Afghanistan first and foremost for slaughtering their innocent people,” the editorial wrote defending the first image that Mr Morrison slammed.
“It needs to seriously reassess the damage done its own international optics caused by this double standard outburst regarding ‘freedom of speech’ and ‘human rights’.”
Afghanistan Times Daily editor-in-chief Mansoor Faizy also weighed in on the feud – arguing that the real tragedy was the killing of Afghans being ignored.
“A storm of outrage escalated after Chinese officials refused to remove the post, rather than ask Australian officials to apologise to the Afghan people for the unlawful killing of innocent Afghans with inhuman war crimes,” Mr Faizy wrote.
“It’s the Australian soldiers who diminished their country’s image by killing helpless Afghan innocents. Asking China to remove the post, or being ashamed of this post, does no good to Australia.
“The best thing Canberra can do is to investigate the war crimes in the most transparent way.”