Philippines condemns China for ‘racist’ AI video…

The Philippines government has officially condemned China's state-run media outlet, China Daily, for broadcasting an AI-generated video that portrayed Filipino people as monkeys. This content was released on July 10, 2026, marking the 10th anniversary of the landmark tribunal ruling regarding the South China Sea, and has been described by Philippine officials as racist, distressing, and unacceptable.

What happened

The AI-generated video was shared on the official China Daily Facebook page. It featured a monkey dressed in Filipino attire being directed to sing by arms representing the United States and Japan. The narrative of the video involved the monkey pulling out a sheet of lyrics labeled with the words "South China Sea arbitration award," at which point the character was thrown into the sea and blasted with water cannons. This imagery was used as a form of political commentary to mock the 2016 Arbitral Award, which invalidated China's sweeping territorial claims in the South China Sea.

Philippine Foreign Ministry officials and Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro expressed strong outrage, labeling the video as "contemptible propaganda." Secretary Teodoro characterized the use of such AI-generated dehumanization as a sign of moral and intellectual bankruptcy, noting that the content glorified violence against the Filipino people and soldiers. Manila has demanded the immediate removal of the video, arguing that the act reflects a government failing to defend its claims through legal reasoning or evidence. The incident occurs against a backdrop of ongoing maritime tensions, including reports of Chinese vessels using water cannons against Filipino fishermen and disputes over the Scarborough Shoal. As of the time of the condemnation, Chinese authorities had not issued a formal response to the criticism regarding the video.