Analysis: After a rocky year for the Australian-Chinese relationship, the doctored picture is a new low

Australia-China relations have been in a downward spiral for well over a year, with recent clashes only the latest in a series of disputes.

However, Monday’s row over a senior Chinese official sharing a mocked-up image purporting to show an Australian soldier cutting the throat of an Afghan child may mark the lowest point yet.

The image shared on Twitter by deputy director of the Foreign Ministry’s Information Department, Zhao Lijian, showed a child with its face covered by the Australian flag as what appears to be a special forces soldier holds a knife to their throat.

“Don't be afraid we are coming to bring you peace,” the caption states. Mr Zhao commented: “Shocked by murder of Afghan civilians & prisoners by Australian soldiers. We strongly condemn such acts & call for holding them accountable.”

The image referred to the recent revelations of the Brereton report, implicating Australian forces in the murder of 39 Afghan civilians or prisoners.

Australian prime Minister Scott Morrison said the image was “truly offensive” and "repugnant”.

“The Chinese government should be totally ashamed of this post. It diminishes them in the world's eyes… It is an absolutely outrageous and disgusting slur. Australia is seeking an apology from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and we are seeking it be removed from Twitter,” he said.

However, Mr Zhao showed no sign of backing down, and made the tweet his "pinned" tweet, the first one people will see on his page.

The day before the official online trolling began, Australian trade minister Simon Birmingham said the government had “sought to engage in good faith” by working through China's domestic processes to overturn China’s barley ban and limit the impact on the A$1.5 billion (£830 million) barley trade, and flagged a likely challenged through the World Trade Organisation.

“We are disappointed that all the evidence, as compelling as we are confident it is, was rejected by the Chinese authorities and that appeal was unsuccessful,” he told local media.

“I expect [taking the matter to the WTO] will be the outcome.”

While China and Australia have long been close trading partners, Australia has also been the key United States ally in the region – accommodating a significant American military presence and hosting an intelligence facility at Pine Gap. The tension between these two relationships has grown significantly in recent months.

In September two senior Australian reporters, the last in China working for Australian news outlets, left the country abruptly after being questioned by Chinese officials.

In August, Australian journalist Cheng Lei, who was working as a high-profile anchor for China's state-run English news service, CGTN, was arrested in China and accused of “suspected criminal activities endangering national security”.

That same month, the Australian Government announced it would provide free unlimited English classes to migrants and work to encourage “Australian values” as part of a move to combat what it calls an “unprecedented” level of foreign interference in the country.

While officials did not name which state or states had sparked the counter-measures, Australian authorities had previously made clear they are concerned by the activities of Chinese government bodies in the country.

Two days earlier, the deputy head of mission of China’s embassy in Australia, Wang Xining, said Australia’s push for an inquiry into the origin and spread of Covid-19 had been “shocking” and had hurt China’s feelings, and dismissed the suggestion the Chinese government was trying to interfere in Australia’s internal affairs or influence Australian society.

Last year, Australia's spy agency began investigating the death of Bo "Nick" Zhao, an Australian citizen who died mysteriously after claiming that a Chinese espionage ring offered to fund him running for parliament.

Mr Zhao was found dead in his Melbourne hotel room on 3 March, 2019. Asia Pacific expert, Professor Mark Beeson, told The Telegraph that both governments had played a role in the deterioration of relations between the countries.

“I don’t think the Morrison government has handled it fantastically well, they have gratuitously irritated the Chinese, but to be fair it is not hard to irritate China at the moment - they have fallen out with almost everybody and do take offence easily,” he said.

“China sees Australia as being close to the US… and rightly or wrongly see [targeting Australia] as a way to send a powerful message.

"What it will do for China’s long term standing in the world is another question. At some level, particularly if countries like Australia don’t cave, and move to diversity their economies so they make themselves less dependent on China, it undermines China’s leverage and is counter-productive for China.”