CHINA has refused to apologize for a video by a Chinese state-run outlet depicting a monkey dressed in a Barong Tagalog, dismissing the footage as independent of government policy while pivoting to renew its attacks on Manila’s maritime claims.
During a regular press briefing in Beijing, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) spokesman Lin Jian flatly declined to comment on the substance of the video circulating on global social media platforms.
Lin claimed the animated clip “does not represent the government position” and stated it was outside his mandate to provide an official reaction.
Instead, Lin used the briefing to double down on Beijing’s long-standing geopolitical grievances regarding the South China Sea.
“China’s position on the issue of the South China Sea arbitration is clear and consistent,” Lin said, reiterating Beijing’s view that the historic 2016 international arbitral ruling in favor of the Philippines was “a political farce masquerading as a legal process” and declaring the tribunal’s award “illegal, null and void, and has no binding force.”
The Philippines has filed a diplomatic protest against the AI-generated video published on July 10, 2026, on the official Facebook page of China Daily, the English-language newspaper owned by the Central Propaganda Department of the Chinese Communist Party.
The animated propaganda piece featured a monkey wearing traditional Filipino national attire.
In the video, the caricature is depicted acting blindly on orders from the United States and Japan, being struck by a high-pressure water cannon, and discarding the 2016 international arbitral ruling into the garbage while labeling it “litter.”
The video drew immediate condemnation from Philippine officials, who noted its release explicitly coincided with a series of domestic events marking the anniversary of the landmark legal victory.
Manila demands immediate takedown
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said it filed a formal diplomatic protest on Friday, following a tense, face-to-face meeting on Thursday evening where Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Leo Herrera-Lim directly confronted Chinese Ambassador Jing Quan. During the meeting, Manila demanded the immediate removal of the video.
In a scathing public statement, the DFA declared that the state-run outlet had crossed a dangerous line in international communication:
“As a Chinese state-run media outlet, China Daily’s conduct goes beyond legitimate political debate and employs blatantly demeaning, dehumanizing, and racist depictions of Filipinos. We draw a firm line at the depiction of Filipinos as monkeys... which is deeply offensive, distressing, and unacceptable.”
The DFA added that legal and political disagreements “do not justify resorting to disturbing imagery, which has no place in the civil public discourse of a responsible state,” warning that such tactics only “widen the distrust” between the two neighbors.
Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. issued an even sharper rebuke, slamming what he termed the “schizophrenic behavior” of the Chinese Communist Party.
“This mockery of the lawful 2016 Arbitral Award and the video’s glorification of violence against the Filipino people and soldiers expose the moral and intellectual bankruptcy of China’s propaganda machine,” Teodoro said.
He argued that the incident fully justifies Manila’s current policy of refusing ministerial or defense engagements with Beijing’s state agencies.
Deepening shadow
The controversy has unfolded just days before Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is scheduled to arrive in Manila to join the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) foreign ministers’ meeting.
The 2016 arbitral ruling, issued by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, thoroughly invalidated the legal basis of Beijing’s sweeping “nine-dash line” claims over nearly the entire South China Sea.
While Manila has consistently used the ruling as the legal cornerstone of its maritime rights, Beijing has spent a decade refusing to recognize it, a deadlock that frequently manifests as dangerous physical confrontations between coast guard vessels in the disputed waters.
Diplomatic observers note that by allowing its state media apparatus to deploy racial slurs, Beijing has introduced a volatile, deeply emotional element into an already fragile maritime standoff — one that a simple boilerplate rejection of international law may no longer be enough to defuse.
Legal rights unchanged
The National Maritime Council (NMC) condemned state-run China Daily’s release of “demeaning” and “racist” videos and editorial cartoons depicting Filipinos as monkeys, saying such content cannot alter the Philippines’ legal rights in the West Philippine Sea.
In a statement, the NMC said the Philippines has consistently pursued diplomacy and dialogue in dealing with maritime disputes, warning that ridicule only makes it more difficult to resolve differences.
“Attempts to substitute reasoned discourse with ridicule neither strengthen legal claims nor clarify issues. Instead, they erode trust, inflame public sentiment, and undermine constructive engagement necessary for achieving peace and stability,” the NMC said.
“The Philippines’ position on its maritime rights and entitlements in the West Philippine Sea remains clear, principled and unwavering,” it added.
The council said the Philippines’ maritime entitlements are anchored in the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the final and binding 2016 South China Sea arbitral award.
“These legal realities cannot be altered by propaganda, disinformation, or offensive portrayals,” it said.
The Philippine Embassy in Beijing followed the diplomatic protest through with a letter to the editor-in-chief of China Daily, reiterating the demand for the immediate takedown of the offensive material.
Condemnation
Sen. Risa Hontiveros condemned the artificial intelligence-generated video, describing it as racist propaganda that demeans Filipinos and undermines diplomatic relations between the Philippines and China.
In a statement released Saturday, Hontiveros said the Filipino people should never be caricatured or stripped of their humanity because of their nationality, stressing that racism has no place in public discourse or statecraft.
“We completely and unequivocally reject China’s racist propaganda,” Hontiveros said.
The senator also criticized the video’s portrayal of the Philippines’ efforts to advance its national interests as an act of colonial subservience, saying such depictions are both offensive and misleading.
She described the AI-generated material as “appalling and beneath the dignity of any State,” adding that it weakens China’s credibility and casts doubt on its claim of fostering friendship and mutual respect with the Philippines.
Cabinet Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. condemned the “racist and dehumanizing” video and editorial cartoons published by Chinese state media China Daily, saying “respect among nations begins with respect for one another’s humanity.”
“We join the Department of Foreign Affairs in strongly condemning the publication by China Daily of AI-generated videos and editorial cartoons that portray Filipinos in a racist and dehumanizing manner,” Abalos said in a statement.
“As a Filipino, I take deep offense at any attempt to belittle our people through offensive and degrading imagery,” he added.
The Palace official said that the Filipino people deserve to be treated with dignity and respect, contrary to the portrayal of the Chinese media.
Navotas Rep. Toby Tiangco condemned the video, calling it a “racist and dehumanizing” attack against Filipinos and urged the public to stand united against propaganda targeting the country’s sovereignty and national dignity.
In a statement, Tiangco said that the video is not a joke or just simple content but an attack on the dignity of every Filipino.
He also threw his support behind the diplomatic protest filed by the DFA and the Department of National Defense’s condemnation of the video, saying the Philippines cannot afford to remain silent whenever its people and sovereignty are under attack.
He also said that the timing of the release of the video made the incident “even more disturbing.”
