Sources say a police report calls the object at a Port Moresby wharf a Chinese artillery shell; China's embassy says it's a wine bottle

L2Who’s affected

Two accounts: The Chinese Embassy posted on social media that a company linked to the incident had conducted an on-site verification and that the object "is in fact a shell-shaped wine bottle" (ABC). The embassy said "it was awaiting the official findings of an investigation by the Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary (RPNGC)" (SCMP). Separately, high-level sources told the ABC the police report identified a 130mm Chinese Type 59 projectile; "Sources said the police report had been provided to criminal investigators handling the case." "The Chinese nationals arrested in relation to the case remain in custody in Port Moresby" (ABC).

L3Why it’s quiet

Analysis · OVERLOOKED The police report has not been released publicly, the ABC account rests on unnamed high-level sources, and the story broke on U.S. Election Day.

L4Deeper impact

Deeper impact: The embassy said China had some of the world's strictest firearm control laws and it was "virtually impossible" "for an illegal military-grade artillery shell to be smuggled out of China to PNG" (SCMP). "An X-ray machine that Australia donated to the Royal Papua New Guinea Police was used to analyse the 32-kilogram device" (ABC).

L5Full context

Full context: The object was "found in a commercial shipping container in Papua New Guinea," the ABC reports. Still unknown: the names of those arrested, any charges, and when police will publish their findings.

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