China Calls Suspected 32kg Artillery Shell in Papua New Guinea a Wine Bottle

China's embassy in Papua New Guinea has rejected reports that a Chinese-made artillery shell was found in a shipping container in the capital, Port Moresby, describing the object as a "shell-shaped wine bottle" that is harmless. Australia's public broadcaster ABC, citing unnamed sources, has reported the opposite: that the item is an undetonated military projectile with explosives and a fuse.

Police arrested four Chinese nationals last Friday after the 32kg object turned up at a construction site. The police investigation is continuing, and the competing accounts have not been settled publicly.

What was found and who was detained

According to the BBC and The Independent, Port Moresby police made the arrests after the object was discovered at a construction site in the capital. Local reports cited by the BBC said officials were trying to determine whether it was a live device. Police commissioner David Manning called the discovery very concerning, the BBC reported.

The Post Courier, a local newspaper, reported that police had earlier dismissed speculation that the object was merely a dummy.

China's position: a wine bottle that poses no risk

In a Facebook post on Tuesday, the Chinese embassy said the object is a wine bottle shaped like a shell and presents no danger. It also argued that smuggling an illegal military-grade artillery shell out of China to Papua New Guinea would be virtually impossible, because China enforces some of the strictest firearm control rules in the world. The embassy added that China is widely recognized as one of the safest countries globally.

The embassy said it was keeping local police fully informed and was waiting for the results of their investigation, The Independent reported.

The competing account: a Type 59 projectile

ABC reported that the object is an undetonated 130mm Chinese Type 59 artillery projectile containing chemical explosives and a fuse. The Independent, also citing ABC, said it was identified using an X-ray machine that Australia had donated to the Royal Papua New Guinea Police. The BBC said it has not independently verified the ABC account, and the sources behind it were not named.

Public reaction online

The embassy's statement drew skepticism and mockery on social media. One Facebook user asked, "What sort of wine bottle weighs 32 kilograms?" Another commenter noted that the object carried no labels suggesting it was a wine bottle. The Independent also quoted a Chinese social media comment that said Beijing was now trying to fool people abroad after fooling people at home.

What's at stake for Papua New Guinea and the region

For residents of Port Moresby, the immediate question is safety: whether a potentially live munition was brought into a commercial shipping container and kept at a construction site in the city. Police have not publicly given a final assessment of what the object is.

The dispute also comes amid competition between China and the United States for influence in the Pacific, according to The Independent. Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi told a visiting delegation of Pacific nations last month that Beijing's ties with the region are not part of geopolitical competition. He described China's engagement with Pacific island countries as South-South cooperation based on mutual assistance.

The Independent also noted that China and Papua New Guinea mark the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations in September, just months after Papua New Guinea closed its office in Taiwan. Beijing says Taiwan is part of its sovereign territory and has not ruled out using force to bring it under its control.

What happens next

The embassy says it is awaiting the findings of the Papua New Guinea police investigation. Those findings would show whether the object is a munition or, as Beijing maintains, a bottle. Police have not said when they will report.

Around Prague, based on reporting by BBC News, The Independent