BEIJING: China’s Defence Ministry apologised on Thursday for allowing a badly photoshopped picture of navy ships and fighter jets to appear on its social media accounts over the weekend, after hundreds of people poured scorn on the image.
The picture, which appeared on the ministry’s Weibo and WeChat accounts on Sunday to mark the navy’s 68th birthday, showed fighter jets over the country’s first aircraft carrier, with two other warships in the background along with two ghostly looking submarines.
Internet users were quick to point out though the two warships were probably US vessels, that one of the aircraft shown was a Russian MiG-35 and that the three other fighter jets were land-based J-10s rather than the carrier-based J-15s.
The image was also mocked for looking cheap and unprofessional.
Speaking at a monthly news briefing, ministry spokesman Yang Yujun admitted that the image was “not meticulous” and that it had been criticised by Internet users.
“The carelessness was with the editor, the responsibility is on the shoulders of the leadership,” Yang said, adding he was “sincerely sorry”.
Neither the image nor the critical comments would be removed as they could serve as a warning, Yang said.
Users of Weibo, China’s answer to Twitter, had expressed amazement that the military, which is normally so sensitive about its image, had allowed the picture to appear.
“Those propaganda guys are weak in the head. They need to go after them for not doing their job,” wrote one Weibo user.
China launched its new aircraft carrier on Wednesday amid rising tension over North Korea and regional worries about Beijing’s assertiveness in the South China
Sea.
Speaking during a visit to Germany, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Chinese business and citizens had spread all around the world, with millions of people living overseas and nearly 30,000 Chinese-funded businesses registered in other countries.
“Under this new environment, China has ample reason to raise its own national defence capability to effectively protect its fair rights that are increasingly extending overseas,” Wang said in response to a question on the new carrier, according to a statement on the ministry’s website on Thursday.
China’s navy has been taking an increasingly prominent role in recent months, with a rising star admiral taking command, its first aircraft carrier sailing around self-ruled Taiwan and new warships appearing in far-flung places.— Reuters
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