China refutes Australia's accusation of tweeting 'fake image'

BEIJING -- A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson on Tuesday refuted Australia's accusation that a Chinese official had tweeted a "fake image" about the Australian military's atrocities committed in Afghanistan.

"The accusation is false in itself as the image was never a real one, but a computer-generated illustration by a young artist. The concept is completely different," spokesperson Hua Chunying told a routine press briefing, adding that the Australian side was trying to shift blames by hyping up the issue.

She pointed out that the image was based on a confirmed inquiry report by the Australian Defence Force (ADF). "Although it is an illustration, it reflects facts."

On Nov 19, the ADF released the findings of the inquiry that heard testimonies from more than 400 witnesses. The inquiry found that "credible evidence" proved that special-forces soldiers murdered 39 prisoners, farmers and civilians during the war in Afghanistan.

Citing an interview of the image's creator, Hua said what Australian soldiers had done was much more brutal than what's been portrayed in the image.

When dealing with issues involving China, some people always insist on the "I can, but you are not allowed" mentality, Hua said, citing examples from the fields of technology and economy.

"I can have the 5G, but you are not allowed" "I can take you down economically, but you are not allowed" and "I can openly criticize you, but you are not allowed." Such an attitude reveals the arrogance and hypocrisy of some people and exposes the real purpose, which is to deprive China's right to speak out the truth, the spokesperson said.

"I hope these people can view China and China's development calmly and rationally, take constructive actions and work with China to resolve differences, and jointly maintain the healthy development of bilateral relations," said Hua.