In a sharp diplomatic flare-up, the Philippines has condemned a China Daily video that portrays Filipinos as a timid monkey. The AI‑generated clip features a monkey wearing a Filipino shirt, being pushed onto a karaoke stage and later blasted by a water cannon. Manila calls the image dehumanising and racist.
Last week, China Daily released the story on its Facebook page. The video shows the monkey pleading, then flipping a sheet that reads "South China Sea arbitration award" and being thrown into the sea by a cannon. The clip highlights the tense standoff around the Spratly Islands and Scarborough Shoal—regions that both China and the Philippines claim.
The Philippines’s foreign ministry stated: "Disagreement over legal and political issues does not justify resorting to disturbing imagery, which has no place in the civil public discourse of a responsible state. Such imagery widens distrust between our countries." The defence ministry also labelled the clip as "contemptible propaganda."
Despite the clip’s removal requested by Manila, it remains posted on China Daily’s Facebook feed. The incident follows recent events, including a June installation of a floating barrier at the entrance to Scarborough Shoal, and the banning of Manila’s defence secretary and his family from mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau.
Across the region, tensions have surged. The Permanent Court of Arbitration ruled in 2016 that China’s maritime claims in the South China Sea have no legal basis, a decision Beijing still rejects. High‑pressure water cannons have repeatedly damaged Philippine vessels, fueling further diplomatic and military friction.
China Daily’s accompanying caption read: "Ten years on, the so-called South China Sea arbitration award remains no remedy for peace, but a source of confrontation dressed up as law." The post also warned that the Philippines turns its country into a pawn in a geopolitical game.
