In another breach of diplomatic protocol, the Chinese embassy on Tuesday revealed details of a private call between Department of Foreign Affairs secretary Frances Adamson and ambassador Cheng Jingye. The embassy said Australia's top diplomat had made "absolutely unacceptable" allegations over a tweet issued by Beijing's foreign affairs spokesman Zhao Lijian that used a fabricated image to accuse Australian soldiers of murdering Afghan children.
The Australian government on Tuesday escalated its concerns over the tweet to Twitter's San Francisco headquarters, after the company's local office ignored its pleas to take the image down.
