IT'S supposed to be a sign of things to come: A model of China's Moon rover sitting against a backdrop of the Earth. Why is there a nuclear explosion over Europe?

The otherwise nondescript background image has stolen attention away from China's first "giant leap" into space.

The gold-covered, moon-roving Yutu ('Jade Rabbit') craft sits on its soily surface at a Shanghai Idustry Fair.

But it is the mushroom cloud over Europe that is catching all the eyes.

Is it a deliberate message?

Or a profound PR mistake?

Hopefully it is the latter.

It appears the exhibit's creators used a piece of stock art from a group called SNORN. They describe the image as "a nice wallpaper and stock photo for your computer desktop."

The Chang'e-3 probe, carrying Yutu, was launched on December 2, and landed on the Moon's surface at the weekend.

It was the first successful moon landing in over three decades.