China has expressed surprise that New Zealand's Prime Minister has formally registered concern about the promotion of a doctored image of an Australian soldier on social media.
The faked photo, tweeted by a Chinese foreign ministry official, shows an Australian soldier holding a knife to an Afghan child's throat.
Australia has called for an apology - a request that's been brushed off by China, as tensions rise between the two nations.
But will New Zealand's choice to weigh-in on the issue impact our country's relationship with China?
Māni Dunlop spoke to Pat English, a former trade commissioner in China, and former director of the New Zealand China Council