Photos of Chinese navy personnel allegedly bulk-buying boxes of baby milk formula in Australia have gained traction on social media.

The photos showed navy members reportedly carrying boxes of milk powder printed with the words “Aptamil 3”, the name of a popular milk powder brand.

chinese navy
Photo: Sina News.

According to the Chinese state news agency Xinhua, the Chinese navy warship 152 entered the Brisbane port as part of an international mission on January 2.

Some netizens slammed the navy for purchasing milk powder from a Western capitalist country, while some said the incident just reflected the poor quality of milk powder in the mainland.

In November, Australian supermarkets and dairy producers came under fire for failing to prevent Chinese buyers from buying infant formula stocks in local shops and reselling them in China at a profit.

Koel Chu is a second-year journalism and fine arts student at the University of Hong Kong. Born and raised in Hong Kong, Koel is interested in the arts and urban design. She interned at China Radio International in Beijing and, at her university, she also works as Vice-President of Branding and Marketing in AIESEC, the largest youth-run organisation in the world.