The Philippines has condemned China’s state-run China Daily for broadcasting an AI-generated video depicting Filipinos as monkeys, calling the imagery “racist”, "offensive”, and “distressing”.
In the video shared on China Daily’s Facebook page, a monkey dressed in Filipino attire is directed on what to sing by arms representing the US and Japan.
The video was posted on 10 July, coinciding with the 10th anniversary of a landmark tribunal ruling that invalidated China's sweeping claims in the South China Sea.
However, Beijing has long rejected the tribunal's decision, claiming it has "indisputable sovereignty over Huangyan Island and its adjacent waters."
"We draw a firm line at the depiction of Filipinos as monkeys in the 10 July 2026 video, which is deeply offensive, distressing, and unacceptable," the Philippines foreign ministry said.
The monkey in the China Daily video is thrown into the sea and blasted with water cannons after it pulls out a sheet of lyrics bearing the words "South China Sea arbitration award".
Manila labelled the video “contemptible propaganda” and has demanded that the video be taken down immediately.
Philippine defence secretary Gilberto Teodoro called the video “a disgrace to any state that claims to exercise responsible regional leadership”.
It exposed “the weakness of a government that resorts to racism, threats, and manufactured hatred because it has utterly failed to defend its ridiculous claims through reason, evidence, or law”, the defence secretary said.
"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," Mr Teodoro said on Thursday.
"The recent spate of schizophrenic behaviour of the Chinese Communist Party is too clear to disregard or to ignore. This latest act of dehumanisation further reveals them as neither a secure and confident actor nor a trustworthy neighbour," he said.
The defence secretary’s comments come amid strained tensions between the Philippines and China over access to the South China Sea, including confrontations and aggressive manoeuvres at sea.
Disputes also emerged recently as China installed a barrier at the entrance of the prized fishing waters of the Scarborough Shoal reef area in the South China Sea, which was removed following Philippine protests.
Filipino fishermen still allege Chinese personnel use water cannons against their boats and cut their anchor lines to drive them away.
Beijing also previously announced plans to establish a nature reserve near Scarborough Shoal, a move that Manila views as a "pretext for occupation".
Chinese authorities have not yet responded to the Philippines' criticism of China Daily.
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