The United States embassy in Papua New Guinea has challenged the Chinese embassy’s description of a suspicious object found in a shipping container in Port Moresby. The Chinese embassy says it was a wine bottle shaped like an artillery shell, while the US mission says it was an unexploded projectile.
In a statement on 5 November, the US embassy said personnel from the US Department of War had directly engaged with the Papua New Guinea explosive ordnance disposal unit that examined the object. The embassy described the item as a Chinese-manufactured artillery projectile containing explosives and a fuse, rather than simply a wine bottle.
The mission described the discovery as a serious public safety matter and called for accurate information and a thorough investigation. It also commended Papua New Guinea police and defence personnel for their response.
The US statement does not say its personnel independently examined the object or established its identity themselves. The statement is not a published technical report from the Papua New Guinea authorities.
Different accounts of the object
In a statement on 3 November, China’s embassy in Port Moresby said it was awaiting the official findings of the Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary’s investigation. The embassy said the item was a shell-shaped wine bottle and posed no danger. It referred to the company involved and an on-site verification, without identifying who carried out the verification or explaining the method. It said police had been kept informed of developments.
The embassy also pointed to Chinese firearm controls and argued that it was virtually impossible for an illegal military-grade artillery shell to have been smuggled out of China to Papua New Guinea. That is the embassy’s position, not a finding that establishes the object’s origin or rules out an illegal shipment.
A complete technical examination report has not been made publicly available. The US embassy’s description and the Chinese embassy’s account of an on-site verification do not, on their own, settle the discrepancy between the two descriptions.
Police response and investigation
Four Chinese nationals were arrested on 30 October after the discovery in the commercial container. Police Commissioner David Manning said authorities acted after a local contractor alerted them. The area was secured, and police bomb unit officers and defence force explosive ordnance specialists were deployed to examine the object.
Manning said the item was moved to a secure facility. Authorities were initially seeking to establish whether it was live or inert, and the commissioner cautioned against speculation while the investigation continued.
It is not clear whether the four people have been charged or whether they remain in custody. An arrest does not establish wrongdoing, and the information available does not establish who placed the object in the container or whether anyone knew what it was.
The immediate questions are what the technical examination found and what investigators can establish about the object’s journey. China’s embassy said it was awaiting the police investigation, while the US mission called for a thorough inquiry. Neither embassy’s statement is a substitute for the complete findings of the authorities examining the case.
Featured image: AI-generated illustration.
