Philippines Condemns Chinese Media Video as Racist Amid South China Sea Tensions

Manila has strongly criticised a video published by China Daily, calling it deeply offensive and racist for depicting Filipinos as monkeys. The AI-generated video, posted on the newspaper's Facebook page on July 10, showed a monkey dressed in Filipino attire being directed by arms representing the United States and Japan. After being called 'stupid,' the monkey pulled a sheet of lyrics reading 'South China Sea arbitration award' before being thrown into the sea and hit by a water cannon from a vessel.

Philippine Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro described the material as 'contemptible propaganda' and 'a disgrace to any State that claims to exercise responsible regional leadership.' He said the video 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.' Teodoro added that the mockery of the 2016 Arbitral Award and the glorification of violence against Filipinos reveal 'the moral and intellectual bankruptcy of China's propaganda machine.'

The Philippine foreign ministry demanded the video be taken down, stating that 'the depiction of Filipinos as monkeys is deeply offensive, distressing, and unacceptable.' The Chinese Embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Beijing rejects the 2016 arbitral ruling that invalidated its extensive claims in the South China Sea. The video's release coincided with events in the Philippines marking the 10th anniversary of that ruling. Tensions between the two countries have been high due to repeated confrontations at sea, aggressive manoeuvres by Chinese vessels, and recent disputes over a floating barrier at Scarborough Shoal, which was removed after Philippine protests. China also imposed sanctions on Secretary Teodoro earlier this year.