THERE is political satire, there is propaganda, and then there is the reckless dehumanization of an entire people.
China Daily’s artificial intelligence-generated video, “Litter on Waves: Failed Maritime Karaoke,” was hardly subtle. It portrayed the Philippines, the entire Filipino nation, as a monkey-like creature dressed in a Filipino barong. Note that the Barong Tagalog is the Philippines’ national costume.
According to China Daily, the Philippines is supposedly being controlled by Washington and Tokyo, forced to repeatedly invoke the 2016 South China Sea (SCS) arbitral award and used as an expendable pawn in a broader geopolitical contest against China. By all means, China is entitled to make that argument.
Also, Beijing has consistently rejected the arbitral award, refused to participate in the proceedings and described the ruling as illegal, invalid and politically manipulated.
But depicting Filipinos, or an entire nation, as monkeys? That is not a legal argument. That is not sophisticated statecraft. That is not even intelligent propaganda. It is childish, offensive and strategically self-defeating, most of all discriminatory and racist, to say the least.
Jay Tarriela had previously circulated an insulting caricature of a Chinese leader. I agree that it was uncalled for, that it was unnecessary and in poor taste, and disrespectful in every way. Beijing had every right to protest it. Personal attacks against foreign leaders do nothing to improve diplomacy and bilateral relations.
But there is a fundamental difference between a cartoon attacking one leader and a state-media production depicting an entire nation through animal imagery.
The China Daily character was not wearing Tarriela’s clothes. It was wearing the Philippine barong, which symbolizes the Filipino nation. That makes the offense broader and far more serious.
As a Filipino, I ask: Why portray Filipinos as monkeys?
China may denounce some or many Philippine officials whom it regards as anti-China. It may criticize those who appear determined to turn the Philippines into a platform for American military operations. But it does not follow that an entire country/nation should be degraded because of the actions of particular leaders, officials or political groups.
Not every Filipino is anti-China. Not every Filipino supports the Marcos administration’s foreign policy. Not every Filipino wants the Philippines transformed into a frontline state in a possible conflict involving China, Taiwan or the United States, or even the disputed SCS.
Some Filipinos, myself included, have worked for decades to promote better, more mutual understanding, friendship and dialogue between the Philippines and China. We have argued against racism, hysteria and the dangerous tendency to treat every Chinese person as an enemy. We have defended diplomacy even when it was politically unpopular to the point that I am being labeled as “pro-China,” when I am truly pro-Philippines and pro-better Philippines-China relations, but which the said China Daily’s video makes that work even harder.
Why? Because it hands anti-China politicians exactly what they need: visual evidence with which to argue that Beijing looks down upon Filipinos and considers the Philippines unworthy of respect. The production therefore strengthened the very forces it supposedly intended to discredit.
Moreover, the historical irony is difficult to ignore. For more than a century, Chinese people were subjected to racist Western imagery built around the “Yellow Peril,” the sinister Fu Manchu stereotype and other degrading portrayals. Chinese migrants were depicted as dangerous and uncivilized.
China understands the wounds caused by racial stereotyping better than most countries. How unfortunate then that a major Chinese state-media organization should reproduce a similar method against another Asian people/nation. A civilization that remembers humiliation should not casually humiliate others.
I do believe that the video does not represent the views of every Chinese citizen, or the Chinese government, official or diplomat, or even the Chinese-Filipino community. More so, it should not be used to provoke hatred against Chinese people, Chinese tourists or Chinese-Filipino communities.
The criticism must remain directed at China Daily, its editors, and the increasingly aggressive propaganda environment that enabled the production of such material.
But China Daily is not an obscure, anonymous social media account. It is a prominent state-affiliated news organization. Its content inevitably carries political weight and affects how China is perceived abroad. That is why its editorial judgment matters.
The video was especially disturbing because of its water cannon imagery. Water-cannon confrontations in the SCS are not harmless cartoon comedy. They involve real sailors, coast guard personnel and fishermen facing injury, damaged vessels and the risk of escalation. Turning those encounters into slapstick entertainment trivializes the dangers faced by human beings at sea.
Indeed, the rhetoric from both sides — the Philippines and China — has now become increasingly childish and irrational. Some Filipino officials employ inflammatory language, theatrical maritime operations and personal attacks against Chinese leaders. Chinese diplomatic and media voices respond with sanctions, threats, caricatures and insulting videos. Each side then uses the other’s excesses to justify further escalation. This is no longer strategic communication. It is a race to the bottom.
China should take the higher ground, not because it is weak, but because it is powerful. A strong country does not need to insult a smaller neighbor to make its point. An ancient civilization does not prove its maturity by depicting other Asian people as animals. A government that speaks of mutual respect and a shared future for humanity should demand the same discipline from its media institutions.
China has every right to make criticism. But its criticism must be precise. It should be directed toward specific policies and personalities, not an entire nation.
By failing to make that distinction, China Daily insulted even those Filipinos who continue to favor constructive, peaceful engagement with Beijing.
It also damaged China’s soft power. Instead of weakening Philippine dependence on Washington and Tokyo, the video may push more Filipinos toward those countries. National humiliation rarely produces friendship. It produces resentment, resistance and a demand for protection.
Both countries must understand that media insults do not remain confined to computer screens. They shape public opinion, narrow the space for diplomacy and influence how future maritime incidents are interpreted.
The SCS dispute is already dangerous enough. It does not need to become a racial quarrel between two societies that have lived side by side for centuries.
China Daily’s editors may have believed they were ridiculing Filipino leaders and their foreign patrons. Instead, they insulted millions of ordinary Filipinos, betrayed China’s own historical memory and sabotaged the work of those still trying to keep the bridge between Manila and Beijing standing. That was not clever propaganda.
Conclusion
I am a friend of China; there is no doubt about that. But genuine friendship should never demand silence, blind agreement or the abandonment of truth. When criticism crosses the boundaries of decency, respect and responsible discourse, I will speak my mind.
I do so not to provoke hostility, but to restore perspective, clarify the issues and encourage a more thoughtful and constructive conversation. Friendship is not proven by flattering one another at all times; it is strengthened by the courage to speak honestly, especially when something is clearly wrong.
Speaking truthfully and fairly is an expression of sincerity, responsibility and genuine friendship.