China rejects artillery shell reports after Papua New Guinea discovery
Original report: date unavailable
China’s embassy says a 32kg object discovered in Papua New Guinea is a wine bottle shaped like a shell, not ammunition. Police arrested four Chinese nationals as conflicting accounts emerged about the object’s identity and whether it posed a danger.
China’s embassy in Papua New Guinea has rejected reports that a suspected Chinese-made artillery shell was found in a commercial shipping container. It described the object as a wine bottle shaped like a shell and said it was harmless. Police arrested four Chinese nationals after the 32kg object was discovered at a construction site in Port Moresby.
Local reports said authorities were examining whether it was live ammunition. ABC subsequently cited unnamed sources identifying it as an undetonated 130mm Chinese Type 59 projectile containing explosives and a fuse, an account the BBC has not independently verified. Police had earlier rejected suggestions that the object was simply a dummy, according to the Post Courier.
The disagreement centres on a potential safety concern at a construction site in Papua New Guinea’s capital. Police commissioner David Manning expressed concern about the discovery, while the embassy argued that China’s strict controls made illegal artillery exports virtually impossible. The reporting does not establish a definitive technical identification of the object.
Source
BBC News
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