MANILA — China Daily’s AI-generated video of a monkey wearing Philippine national costumes has drawn strong criticism from the Philippines, escalating tensions days before Beijing’s top diplomat is scheduled to attend a regional meeting in Manila.
The Philippines has condemned the “inhuman and racist” portrayal of the country by the United States and Japan as cowardly monkeys with powerful weapons to attack China in the South China Sea.
The Foreign Ministry said the content in Chinese state media was “deeply disgusting, distressing and unacceptable.”
An AI-generated video posted by China Daily last week showed monkeys acting on orders from the United States and Japan.
The monkey screamed as an arm holding Japanese and American flags pushed it onto a rickety karaoke stage set up on a boat. After being scolded for singing the wrong song, he pulls out a sheet that says “South China Sea Arbitration Award.” He is then thrown into the sea and detonated with a water cannon.
China Daily also called a 2016 international arbitration award that rejected Beijing’s far-reaching claims to the South China Sea “rubbish.”
Tense standoffs and occasional violent clashes between Philippine and Chinese vessels in the disputed waters have escalated in recent years.
At the center of tensions between Manila and Beijing are the Spratly Islands and Scarborough Shoal (known in China as Huangyan Island), located just over 100 miles from the Philippines and 500 miles from China.
China’s Coast Guard routinely uses high-pressure water cannons against Philippine vessels in disputed shallow waters, resulting in damage and injuries.
Manila’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that “differences over legal and political issues do not justify relying on disturbing images that are inappropriate for the public debate of a responsible nation” and demanded that the video be removed.
It added: “Such images and misinformation will only spread mistrust between the Philippines and China.”
The Philippine Department of Defense called the video “despicable propaganda” and said it “reveals the moral and intellectual bankruptcy of China’s propaganda machine.”
Secretary of Defense Gilbert Teodoro said, “The Chinese Communist Party’s recent spate of schizophrenic actions is too obvious to ignore or ignore.”
The video, posted on July 10, remains on China Daily’s Facebook page.
Last week marked 10 years since the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague ruled in favor of the Philippines, concluding that China’s extensive claims in the South China Sea had no legal basis under international law.
The Chinese government has ignored the ruling, arguing that the court lacks jurisdiction.
Tensions between China and Manila have escalated sharply in recent years due to overlapping claims between the two countries, with both sides accusing the other of provocations and altercations at sea, including the use of weapons such as swords, spears and knives.
In June, the Chinese government installed a floating barrier at the entrance to Scarborough Shoal, but it was removed after the Philippines filed a formal diplomatic protest.
Also in June, China banned Manila’s Defense Secretary Teodoro and his immediate family from entering mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau.
The caption to China Daily’s monkey clip post reiterates Beijing’s position.
China Daily said, “Even after 10 years, the so-called South China Sea arbitration award is still not a remedy for peace but a source of conflict disguised as law.”
“By clinging to external powers and causing problems in the South China Sea, [the Philippines’ is] We are turning our country into a pawn in someone else’s geopolitical game,” the caption added.
The monkey clip is one of a series of clips and cartoons posted by China Daily on Facebook in the past few weeks mocking the Philippines’ actions in the South China Sea. They include depictions of Manila as a clown and a snake, among others.
