随著当前澳洲和中国之间的冲突升级，显而易见的是，由英国广播公司，美国有线电视新闻网，以及媒体大亨梅铎（Rupert Murdoch）拥有的媒体集团主导的西方英文媒体，以及印度、日本和其他一些支持反华的美国盟友的国际媒体，试图将中澳关系破裂责任归咎于中国政府。
尤其是在中国外交部发言人赵立坚的推持，转载一幅讽刺澳洲士兵拿著刀子架在阿富汗少年喉咙图片后，引发的轩然大波事件反映出来。这图上推文：“为澳洲军人谋杀阿富汗平民及囚犯感到震惊。我们强烈谴责这种行为，并要求追究他们的责任。”
这推文是对澳洲国防军督察长办公室的一份调查报告之回应，该报告指澳洲特种部队涉及在阿富汗杀死了39名手无寸铁的囚犯和平民。调查报告指出，依据可靠的资料，即巡逻指挥官要求初级士兵射杀囚犯，以让士兵首次杀人，这种做法被称为“放血”（blooding）。据知所有这些非法杀戮都是在“非战斗”情况下发生的。
澳洲总理反应过度？
在全球西方媒体的报导中，澳洲总理莫里森对推持图一事的即时回应是：“澳洲要求中国外交部道歉，这是一张令人非常反感的假图片。我们要求将此图删除，并已与推特联系以立即将其删除。这十分令人震惊，没有任何借口可以合理化这种行径。中国政府应为这则推文感到羞耻。这将贬低中国在世界的地位。”
现在，即使是澳洲的评论员，也陆续认为，莫里森对中国低级官员所发推文的回应，是一种愚蠢、不必要和过度愤怒的反应。一些甚至挖苦说，莫里森是否在试图炫耀他的“好勇斗狠气概”，或者他是否脑残。
中国不仅没有道歉，甚至没有理会澳洲的要求。中国官方媒体《环球时报》总编辑胡锡进回应说，莫里森无权对“使用该图片”感到气愤，更指道歉的要求是“荒唐和无耻”。中国外交部发言人华春莹也指，“澳洲方面对我同事的推文一事反应强烈。为何如此？这是否想说明澳洲军人冷酷地杀害阿富汗无辜平民有理，但有人谴责这种罪行则无理？阿富汗人的命也是命。”
推特也同样拒绝莫里森和他的“扩音器外交”要求，拒绝删除该推文。该社交媒体平台的发言人告诉CNBC：“相关推文中包含的图像已被标记为敏感图像。”该发言人还指出：“对于世界领导人和官方政府的帐户，其与其他公众人物的直接互动或对政治，经济或军事问题的评论，一般都不会违反推特的规定”。
实际上，中国对澳洲的不满已有一段时间，而莫里森在举动如火上加油。
在推特事件的两周前，中国一名官员向澳洲媒体列举了，澳洲引起中国不满和投诉的档案。莫里森肯定知道这些所指的举动，并应该考虑如何适当应对自2007年以来澳洲最大的贸易伙伴和自2009年以来最大的出口市场——中国。
中国对澳洲的指控有：阻止中国在澳洲投资，包括禁止华为参与澳洲5G网络建设和“一带一路”倡议；莫里森在新冠肺炎病毒起源调查上的强硬态度；干涉台湾、香港和新疆等中国的“内部事务”；资助反华智库散布不真实的报导和虚假信息，旨在影响公众舆论；澳洲国会议员对中共的强烈谴责，以及对中国人和亚裔的种族歧视；支持美国反华运动；毫无根据的指控中国发动网络攻击。
在媒体收到有关档案后不久，中国外交部发言人赵立坚也将中澳关系困难的局面，归咎于澳洲所为。
赵立坚在北京的新闻发布会上说：“澳洲当局应对此予以正视，认真反思，而不是甩锅推责。”赵也指出，中澳关系的恶化根源是“澳洲屡次的错误行径和言论……以及其挑衅和对抗的行动”，因此“解铃还须系铃人”。
我将于下一篇文章探讨中澳关系的前景，以及澳洲要如何解开此缠结。
《中澳冲突》（¨If you make China the enemy, China will be the enemy〃 - The Australia-China Conflict *）原文：
As the current conflict between Australia and China escalates, what has emerged clearly is the way in which the western English language media dominated by BBC, CNN, the Rupert Murdoch empire of newspapers in the English language world, and other international newspapers in India, Japan and some other US allies which have supported the anti-China line of the United States have tried to pin the blame for the breakdown in relations on the Chinese government.
This can be especially seen with the latest uproar following Chinese foreign ministry official, Lijian Zhaoˇs, tweet of the image of an Australian soldier holding a knife to the throat of a child. The digitally created cartoon was accompanied by the text, ¨Shocked by murder of Afghan civilians & prisoners by Australian soldiers. We strongly condemn such acts, & call for holding them accountable.〃
The tweet was in response to a report by the inspector general of the Australian defence force which found that the countryˇs special forces allegedly killed 39 unarmed prisoners and civilians in Afghanistan. The inquiry said it found credible information that junior soldiers were required by their patrol commanders to shoot a prisoner to achieve the soldierˇs first kill - a practice known as ¨blooding.〃 All those unlawful killings were said to have been done outside the ¨heat of battle.〃
In an immediate response which was carried all round the world by the westerm media, Scott Morrison the Australian Prime Minister demanded that ¨Australia is seeking an apology from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, from the Chinese government, for this outrageous post. We are also seeking its removal immediately and have also contacted Twitter to take it down immediately, It is utterly outrageous and it cannot be justified on any basis whatsoever. The Chinese government should be totally ashamed of this post. It diminishes them in the worldˇs eyes.〃
This response is now belatedly recognized by even Australian commentators as a foolish, needless and over the top angry reaction to a tweet from a junior Chinese official. Some cynics have asked if the Australian Prime Minister was trying to show off his ¨hairy chest〃 or whether he had suffered a brain fade.
Not only has an apology not been forthcoming but the Chinese side has brushed aside the Australian demand. Hu Xijin, the editor-in-chief of Chinaˇs state media outlet the Global Times, replied that Morrison had no right to feel angry over ¨the use of this cartoon〃 and the calls for an apology were ¨ridiculous and shameless〃. From the Chinese foreign office, Hua Chunying, director of the ministryˇs department of information, noted that ¨The Australian side has been reacting so strongly to my colleagueˇs tweet. Why is that? Do they think that their merciless killing of Afghan civilians is justified but the condemnation of such ruthless brutality is not? Afghan lives matter〃.
Equally telling against Morrison and his megaphone diplomacy is that Twitter refused to take down the tweet. A spokesperson for the social media platform told CNBC: ¨The image contained within the Tweet in question has been marked as sensitive media.〃 The spokesperson also pointed out that ¨For world leaders and official government accounts, direct interactions with other public figures or comments on political, economic or military issues generally do not violate Twitterˇs rules〃.
Chinaˇs grievances with Australia have in fact been long in the making and Morrison has played a key role in stoking them.
Two weeks earlier to the tweet incident, a Chinese official had delivered to the Australian media a list of wrongdoings and complaints at the state level which China had experienced from the Australian side. Morrison surely would have seen this detailed listing and should have considered how to respond in an appropriate way to the concerns of its largest trading partner since 2007 and Australiaˇs largest export market since 2009.
Among them were the following
▸blocking Chinese investment in Australia including Huaweiˇs 5G rollout and the Belt and Road Initiative
▸Prime Minister Scott Morrisonˇs vocal stance on investigations into the origins of Covid-19
▸interference with Chinaˇs ¨internal matters〃 such as Taiwan, Hong Kong and Xinjiang
▸funding for anti-China think tanks to spread untrue reports and peddle lies aimed at influencing public opinion
▸outrageous condemnation of the governing party of China by Australian members of parliament and racist attacks against Chinese and Asians
▸siding with the US anti-China campaign
▸unsubstantiated allegations of China inspired cyber attacks
The dossier was delivered shortly before China's Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian laid the blame on Australia for the state of the relationship. "The Australian side should reflect on this seriously, rather than shirking the blame and deflecting responsibility," he said at a Beijing press conference.
Zhao also indicated that China is not interested in compromise because the ¨crux of the deteriorating bilateral ties〃 is ¨Australiaˇs repeated wrong acts and remarksas well as its provocative and confrontational actions.〃 Zhao added an idiom that reads literally, ¨Whoever hung the bell [on the tigerˇs neck] must untie it〃, meaning that those who have caused problems should be the ones to solve problems.
*The next article examines what lies ahead for Australia-China relations and how Australia may be able to work towards untying the bell around its neck.
