PH urges takedown of 'offensive' China Daily post depicting Filipinos as monkeys

The Philippines, through the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), has demanded a Chinese state-run media outlet to take down the AI-generated video it posted on social media which depicted Filipinos as monkeys while criticizing the 2016 arbitral ruling.

In a statement issued Thursday, the DFA slammed the video publicized by China Daily, describing it as “racist” and “deeply offensive.”

“As a Chinese state-run media outlet, China Daily’s conduct goes beyond legitimate political debate and employs blatantly demeaning, dehumanizing, and racist depictions of Filipinos,” the DFA said.

“We draw a firm line at the depiction of Filipinos as monkeys in the 10 July 2026 video, which is deeply offensive, distressing, and unacceptable,” it added.

China Daily’s social media post was made on July 10, two days before the 10th anniversary of the historic decision by the Permanent Court of Arbitration that upheld the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.

The post featured a video showing a monkey dressed in a barong tagalog and a salakot and being dictated on what to say by what appeared to be American and Japanese characters.

It also showed the monkey being sprayed with a water cannon on the high seas after being given the arbitral award.

Widen distrust

The DFA urged China Daily to take down the video, saying that it may only widen the distrust between Manila and Beijing.

“Such imagery and misinformation only serve to widen the distrust between the Philippines and China,” the agency said.

“The Philippines demands that the offensive material be taken down, calls for the immediate cessation of such irresponsible content, and urges China to uphold dignity, respect, and truth in public discourse,” it continued.

The DFA also argued that disagreements 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."

The Philippine government sued China before an international arbitral tribunal in The Hague in 2013. It ruled in favor of the Philippines in July 2016 when it junked China's nine-dash claim over the South China Sea.

China has refused to recognize the ruling. — RSJ, GMA News