Jenn, Alex, and Jen talk about the diplomatic spat between China and Australia that erupted this week after a Chinese official tweeted a fake image of an Australian soldier threatening a young Afghan child with a knife. Though the image was fake, it highlighted real war crimes allegedly committed by Australian soldiers in Afghanistan. The crew explains why China, a notorious human rights abuser itself, is trolling Australia on Twitter about this issue, and how it fits into China's broader geopolitical strategy to bully countries into keeping quiet about its own failings.

References:

The Australia-China diplomatic spat, explained

An inquiry found Australian special forces committed possible war crimes in Afghanistan

The potential costs of a trade war between Australia and China

How Australia’s allies are responding to its feud with China

The US government also did some trolling of its own

A look at China’s “wolf warrior” diplomacy

Hosts:

Jennifer Williams (@jenn_ruth), senior foreign editor, Vox

Alex Ward (@AlexWardVox), national security reporter, Vox

Jen Kirby (@j_kirby1), foreign reporter, Vox

 

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