Philippines condemns monkey video on Chinese media as…

On July 10, 2024, the Philippines officially condemned a dehumanizing and racist AI-generated video posted by China Daily that portrayed the nation as a monkey. The clip served as a piece of propaganda amidst escalating maritime tensions regarding the South China Sea.

What happened

The AI-generated video featured a monkey wearing a Filipino shirt being forced by arms bearing US and Japanese flags onto a karaoke stage. After the monkey is scolded for its performance and displays a sheet referencing the South China Sea arbitration award, it is thrown into the sea and struck by a water cannon. This imagery mirrors actual events in the disputed waters, where the Chinese Coast Guard has frequently used high-pressure water cannons against Philippine vessels, resulting in damage and injuries.

China Daily’s caption accompanying the video reiterated Beijing's stance, framing the 2016 Permanent Court of Arbitration ruling—which favored the Philippines—as a source of confrontation rather than peace. The Philippine foreign ministry denounced the content as disturbing imagery that has no place in civil discourse and demanded its removal. Furthermore, the Philippine defence secretary, Gilbert Teodoro, characterized the video as contemptible propaganda that highlights the moral and intellectual bankruptcy of the Chinese propaganda machine. The video remains on China Daily's social media platform despite the diplomatic backlash, marking a significant escalation in the use of synthetic media to mock the Philippines' actions in the ongoing territorial dispute.