The US has joined the ongoing row over a suspected China-made artillery shell found in a shipping container in Papua New Guinea that Beijing has dismissed as a “shell-shaped wine bottle”.
Port Moresby police last week arrested four Chinese nationals after a large military-grade shell weighing 32kg was found at a construction site.
The Chinese embassy in Port Moresby claimed the shell-shaped wine bottle "poses no danger at all".
China enforces "some of the world’s strictest firearm control laws and regulations", which makes it "virtually impossible" for an illegal military-grade artillery shell to be smuggled out of the country, the embassy said in a post on Facebook.
However, Australia’s ABC broadcaster reported that the object was an undetonated 130mm Chinese Type 59 artillery projectile containing chemical explosives and a fuse.
The object was identified with an X-ray machine that Australia donated to the Royal Papua New Guinea Police, the broadcaster reported, citing sources.
The US embassy in Port Moresby on Thursday said it “directly engaged” with the Papua New Guinea explosive ordnance disposal unit that examined the suspected shell.
The US cited publicly reported findings to suggest the object was an unexploded projectile and “not simply a wine bottle”.
“This is a serious public safety matter. Papua New Guineans deserve accurate information and a thorough investigation,” it said.
“We commend PNG police and defense personnel for their response. The United States stands with Papua New Guinea in protecting its people, security, and sovereignty,” it added.
The Chinese embassy said it was keeping the local police "fully updated on the developments" while awaiting findings of the police investigation.
The Chinese statement calling the object a "wine bottle" has triggered ridicule across social media platforms.
"What sort of wine bottle weighs 32 kilograms?" read a comment on Facebook.
"That's the explodiest wine bottle I've ever seen," added another user. “The Chinese government have really got to get better at lying, this is just a amateur hour.”
A Chinese social media comment read: "After tricking everyone at home, China wants to trick people abroad."
The row erupted at a time when China and the US have been at loggerheads over establishing dominance in the Pacific waters.
Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi told a visiting delegation of Pacific nations that Beijing's ties with the region was not part of geopolitical competition.
“China’s engagement with Pacific island countries is a form of South-South cooperation based on mutual assistance and support,” he said last month.
In September, China and Papua New Guinea celebrate the 50th anniversary of their diplomatic ties, just months after the latter shuttered its office in Taiwan.
China praised Papua New Guinea and said it stood "ready to continue working with Papua New Guinea to support each other on issues concerning their core concerns and fundamental interests". Beijing maintains that the self-governed island is part of its sovereignty and hasn't ruled out the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control.
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