Why the West Lost Its Cool Over a West-Inspired Image

By Li Fangfang

A satirical computer-generated （CG） image featuring an Australian soldier cutting the throat of a child in Afghanistan has created a furor since November 29， when it was posted by Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison demanded China apologize for the “doctored image，” successfully redirecting the international attention from focusing on the countrys war crimes to blaming China.

Following Morrison， the media in Australia and its allies such as New Zealand， France， the UK and the U.S.， criticized the tweet as misinformation while keeping mum on the Australian soldiersgruesome deeds in Afghanistan. Neither did they express outrage about the mistreatment of David McBride， a former Australian army lawyer who faces fi ve charges， and possible jail， for informing the media about the soldiers involvement.

Having suffered a century of humiliation including being invaded and trampled upon by foreign powers， the Chinese empathize with Afghans who have gone through the same suffering.

On December 1， the Afghanistan Times said in its editorial that “The agonized Afghans welcome Chinas move not to only condemn but also react strongly over the unlawful killings in Afghanistan.”

Australia media said diplomatic relations with China is at a 50-year low over the tweet.

People could still recall that the Chinese national fl ag， a symbol of national sovereignty and dignity， was distorted by a Danish newspaper in January. At a time when the Chinese were fighting hard against an unknown virus， the “cartoon” replaced the symbolic yellow stars on the fl ag with virus-like depictions. The newspapers defense was that they were practicing freedom of speech.

Pablo Picassos Massacre in Korea， an uncomfortable painting which depicts U.S. atrocities on pregnant women and children in the Korean War， is hailed a masterpiece. And no one is demanding that the Musée Picasso in Paris， where it is on display， take it down.

That， according to the West， is freedom of expression.

However， when a Chinese artist resorted to political satire by creating a CG image to express his anger at the Australian armys war crimes， it is not okay. The Australian prime minister labeled it“a disgusting slur，” “repugnant，” and said that the“Chinese Government should be totally ashamed.”The young Chinese artist probably had never expected his following Western culture would give the West a handle with which to disgrace his own country.

British scholar Martin Jacques was among those who pinpointed the truth about Morrisons outrage that it was not about the image but who had posted it. “What really offends him is that he doesnt think the Chinese have a right to comment on the murderous behavior of Australian Special Forces in Afghanistan，” Jacques said.

Part of the mentality in the Wests dealings with China is condescension. “Some people always show the ‘I can， but you are not allowed mentality，” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying 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 Chinas right to speak out the truth， Hua said.

“When Australia took the lead， banning Huawei on groundless security charges， it didnt say business was business. When Morrison launched a series of battle moves hampering Chinas core interest， he simply wished politics was just politics，”China Daily Deputy Editor in Chief Wang Hao said on Twitter.

“Shaking hands for good deals while stepping hard on your trading partners toe. How can the dance last long？” Wang added.

The Australian media have recently targeted China even more by peddling the “China threat”story. The Australian newspaper labeled Zhao the“supreme wolf” to justify their narrative that Chinese diplomacy is turning combative. The anti-China narrative and “China threat” story， unfortunately， will likely keep on being sold in the Western hemisphere. Serious work must be done to bring bilateral relations back to business as usual.