The Philippines strongly condemned the state-run China Daily for publishing an AI-generated video depicting Filipinos as monkeys, saying the “racist” depiction was “offensive, distressing and unacceptable” and drew a firm line against dehumanizing propaganda.
Manila requested the deletion of a video posted on China Daily’s Facebook account on July 10. The Chinese embassy in Manila did not respond to requests for comment.
The video showed a monkey dressed in Filipino costume being told what to sing by arms representing the United States and Japan. After being called an “idiot”, the monkey pulled out a sheet of lyrics reading “South China Sea Arbitration Award”, before being thrown into the sea and blasted by a ship’s water cannon.
Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro denounced the content as “vile propaganda” and “a disgrace to a nation that claims to provide responsible leadership in the region.” He said the episode exposed the “weakness of a government that resorts to racism, intimidation and manufactured hatred in its utter failure to defend ridiculous claims with reason, evidence and law.”
“This mockery of a legitimate 2016 arbitration award and the video showing glorification of violence against Filipino citizens and soldiers exposes the moral and intellectual bankruptcy of China’s propaganda machine,” Teodoro said late Thursday.
China Daily’s AI-generated video was posted on July 10 to coincide with an event in the Philippines commemorating the 10th anniversary of a landmark arbitral award that invalidated China’s extensive claims in the South China Sea. The Chinese government rejected this ruling.
Manila’s sharp rebuke comes as relations between the Philippines and China are already strained due to repeated maritime skirmishes, aggressive actions by Chinese ships, Beijing’s sanctions on Teodoro Island and, most recently, tensions in the South China Sea over a floating barrier that China installed at the entrance to the hotly contested Scarborough Shoal, which was later removed following protests in the Philippines.
“We draw a firm line at the portrayal of Filipinos as monkeys in the July 10, 2026 video. This is extremely offensive, deplorable and unacceptable,” the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs said in a statement late Thursday.
