Beijing has dismissed reports that an object resembling a Chinese-made artillery shell was discovered in a commercial cargo container in Papua New Guinea, the BBC writes.
China claims it is “a wine bottle in the shape of a shell”.
“It poses no danger whatsoever,” the Chinese embassy said in a post on Facebook.
Last Friday, Port Moresby police detained four Chinese nationals after the 32kg item was found at a construction site in the capital.
Local media reported at the time that officers were determining whether the find was a live round. Police Commissioner David Manning described it as “very alarming”.
On Wednesday, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), citing unnamed sources, reported that it was an unexploded 130mm Chinese-made artillery shell (Type 59) containing explosive material and a fuze.
According to the local newspaper Post Courier, Papua New Guinea police had previously rejected the suggestion that the item found was “just a dummy”.
However, a statement from the Chinese embassy said that illegally exporting a live artillery shell from China to Papua New Guinea is “virtually impossible”.
“China has some of the strictest weapons control laws and regulations in the world,” the Chinese diplomats’ statement said.
They also add that China is “widely recognised as one of the safest countries in the world”.
