Facing a demand for an apology, Chinese artist Wuheqilin creates a new illustration in response to Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison. Photo: Wuheqilin

 The Chinese embassy in France asked if the French government was on the side of war criminals,  after the French Foreign Ministry made “biased,” “objectionable,” and “insulting” comments against China over a Chinese diplomat’s tweet of a satirical cartoon depicting an Australian soldier murdering a child in Afghanistan. 

The Chinese embassy slapped France for joining Australia in criticizing China over the tweet slamming the brutal behavior of Australian soldiers in Afghanistan. “France does not condemn the atrocities of war that tore and kill civilians, but instead accuses those who denounce the atrocities.”  

The French government described the tweet from Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian as unworthy of diplomatic methods, and as an insult to all countries whose armed forces had been engaged in Afghanistan. 

The embassy said such comments are distasteful, adding that one cannot help but question whether those who make such statements are on the side of war criminals or on the side of international justice and human conscience.

“Why is it that a country that resolutely defends the “right to caricature” cannot tolerate the same right for young Chinese artists? Where is the freedom of speech that France advocates?” the Chinese embassy in France asked on Wednesday, saying the reaction from France is due to its double standards mindset.

The Australian Department of Defense has publicly acknowledged in a report that 25 members of the Australian Special Forces murdered 39 Afghan civilians and prisoners between 2009 and 2013, blindfolding them and then shooting or cutting their throats in groups. Two 14-year-old boys were put into bags and thrown into a river after their throats had been cut.

Afghanistan’s Foreign Ministry said on its website that it is working with the Australian government to investigate the misconduct of Australian soldiers in Afghanistan to ensure the perpetrators are identified and brought to justice. 

Former Afghan ambassador to China Sultan Ahmad Baheen told the Global Times on Tuesday that the Australian soldiers' act of killing Afghan civilians should be condemned.

China’s criticism of the brutal behavior of Australian soldiers in Afghanistan was applauded by Kabul-based Afghanistan Times as a “great example.” 

“China is a powerful country that definitely has influence in the region. Such a move would give assurances that no country would even think of preventing culprits from being trailed,” an editorial from the Afghanistan Times said.

Afghans have welcomed China’s move to not only condemn but also react strongly over the unlawful killings in Afghanistan, it said, calling on other countries to bring the killers of innocent Afghans to justice.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison criticized the Chinese diplomat’s tweet as “fake and malicious” and even demanded an apology. 

The demand triggered a backlash from the cartoon's creator, Wuheqilin.

Wuheqilin told the Global Times on Monday that “Morrison should not vent his outrage at Zhao, or me, but the crimes by the Australian soldiers in Afghanistan.”