Full Breakdown
Philippines Condemns China Daily’s AI-Generated Monkey Video Amid South China Sea Tensions
7/17/2026, 12:35:13 PM
Core Event
On 10 July 2026 China Daily, a state-run Chinese media outlet, posted a 58-second AI-generated video on its Facebook page. The animation shows a monkey dressed in a Filipino barong and salakot being pushed by figures bearing the United States and Japan flags onto a makeshift karaoke stage aboard a boat. After being scolded for singing the wrong song, the monkey produces a sheet titled “South China Sea arbitration award,” is thrown into the sea and blasted with a water cannon. The Philippines’ Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the Department of National Defence demanded the clip’s removal, labeling it “dehumanising, racist and offensive.”
Background & Context
The video was released to coincide with the 10th anniversary of the 12 July 2016 Permanent Court of Arbitration ruling in The Hague, which invalidated China’s “nine-dash line” claims and affirmed the Philippines’ sovereign rights in the West Philippine Sea. Beijing has consistently rejected the award, asserting the tribunal lacks jurisdiction. Over the past decade, disputes over the Spratly Islands and Scarborough Shoal (Huangyan Island) have produced frequent stand-offs, including the use of high-pressure water cannons by the Chinese Coast Guard and the temporary installation of a floating barrier at Scarborough Shoal in June 2026.
Official Statements & Responses
Manila’s foreign ministry issued a statement condemning the video as “disturbing imagery” that has “no place in the civil public discourse of a responsible state.” The defence ministry called the material “contemptible propaganda” that “exposes the moral and intellectual bankruptcy of China’s propaganda machine.” Defence Secretary Gilbert Teodoro reiterated that the depiction reflects “the recent spate of schizophrenic behaviour of the Chinese Communist Party.” The DFA’s press release demanded immediate removal of the clip and urged China to “uphold dignity, respect and truth in public discourse.”
Chinese authorities have not issued an official response. The Chinese Embassy in Manila did not reply to media inquiries, and China Daily’s Facebook post remains online despite the Philippine demands.
Criticism & Opposition
The Philippine government framed the video as a deliberate attempt to inflame anti-Filipino sentiment and to undermine the legal standing of the 2016 arbitral award. Critics within Manila highlighted the broader pattern of Chinese state media producing demeaning cartoons—depicting Manila as a clown or snake—in recent weeks. No Chinese officials publicly defended the content, and the lack of a rebuttal has been noted as a diplomatic omission.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
While multiple Philippine sources confirm the video’s continued availability on China Daily’s Facebook page, Chinese officials have not confirmed whether they intend to remove it. Additionally, Beijing’s recent sanction barring Defence Secretary Teodoro and his family from entering mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau was reported by Philippine outlets but not independently verified by Chinese statements.
Verbatim Quotes
- “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” — Manila’s foreign ministry
- “The recent spate of schizophrenic behaviour of the Chinese Communist Party is too clear to disregard or ignore.” — Defence Secretary Gilbert Teodoro
- “But 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,” — Department of Foreign Affairs
- “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,” — China Daily caption
- “By clinging to external forces and stirring up trouble in the South China Sea, [the Philippines' is] turning their country into a pawn in someone else's geopolitical game,” — China Daily caption
