Chinese state media have shocked the Syrian people after it questioned the authenticity of the video of Omran, the Syrian child who was injured in an air strike last week. Chinese media said that the story may have been fabricated and used as part of a “propaganda war” by the west.

Despite 290,000 Syrians being killed and 12 million displaced as a result of the brutal aggression carried out by the Assad regime against the Syrian people over the last five years, Chinese media is sceptical about the humanitarian situation that Syrians face and the killing and displacement that is taking place in Syria. Chinese media stated that they doubt whether the video of Omran is genuine and suspect that it is part of a propaganda war aimed at creating a ‘humanitarian’ excuse for Western countries to become involved in Syria,”, especially after the US State Department said that Omran is the “real face” of the war in Syria.

This is not the first time that the Chinese media have accused people of faking videos. Previously, the official press agency of the People’s Republic of China Xinhua News Agency accused the Tibetan government-in-exile of publishing fabricated videos. China Central Television (CCTV) also alleged that the Syrian Civil Defence, who took the video had “questionable independence” and the television channel drew a link between the group and the British army. Beijing supports Bashar Al-Assad’s regime and is close to Russia.