What is it? PNG says it’s an artillery shell. China says it’s a wine bottle

China’s embassy in Papua New Guinea has disputed reports that a suspected Chinese-made artillery shell was found in a shipping container in Port Moresby, saying the object was instead a shell-shaped wine bottle.

The embassy said in a social media post on Tuesday it was awaiting the official findings of an investigation by the Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary (RPNGC).

It cited an on-site verification by a company involved in the case, which said it found that the object was a wine bottle. “It poses no danger at all,” the embassy said.

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The embassy also noted that China had some of the world’s strictest firearm control laws and said it was “virtually impossible” for an illegal military-grade artillery shell to be smuggled out of China to PNG.

According to a report by Australia’s ABC national broadcaster on Tuesday that cited sources, a police report finalised that day identified the object as an undetonated 130mm Chinese Type 59 artillery projectile containing chemical explosives and a fuse.

On Saturday, PNG media outlet TVWAN Online reported that four Chinese nationals had been arrested following the discovery of the suspected artillery round inside a commercial shipping container in Port Moresby.

It stated that Police Commissioner David Manning had confirmed the arrests and said police had acted swiftly after a local contractor alerted them to the discovery.

The RPNGC bomb unit and PNG Defence Force explosive ordnance disposal personnel were deployed to examine the device. It was secured and moved to a safe storage facility, according to Manning.

The incident comes as Beijing and Washington compete for influence in the South Pacific.

In July, PNG announced the closure of Taiwan’s economic office in Port Moresby, a move welcomed by Beijing. Mainland China’s Taiwan Affairs Office spokeswoman Zhang Han said Beijing “highly appreciated” the decision.

Beijing sees Taiwan as part of China to be reunited by force if necessary. Most countries, including the United States, do not recognise the self-ruled island as an independent state. However, Washington is opposed to any attempt to take Taiwan by force and is committed to supplying it with weapons.

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“China’s engagement with Pacific island countries is a form of South-South cooperation based on mutual assistance and support,” he said, according to a statement from the Communist Party’s International Department.