Philippines slams China's AI monkey video as 'Dehumanising and Racist', demands removal of clip

The Philippines has criticised a video published by China Daily, calling it "dehumanising and racist" for depicting the country as a frightened monkey being pushed by the US and Japan to take Beijing on over the South China Sea. The AI-generated video shared last week features a monkey wearing a Filipino shirt being forced onto a karaoke stage on a boat by arms bearing US and Japanese flags.

After being rebuked for singing the wrong song, the man pulls out a sheet reading "South China Sea arbitration award" before being thrown into the sea and blasted by a water cannon. The video comes amid growing tensions between Philippine and Chinese vessels in the disputed South China Sea, particularly around the Spratly Islands and Scarborough Shoal. The Chinese Coast Guard has repeatedly used high-pressure water cannons against Philippine vessels in the contested waters, causing damage and injuries.

Demanding the removal of the clip, Manila's foreign ministry said, "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 and misinformation only serve to widen the distrust between the Philippines and China," it added.

Philippine calls the video 'propaganda'

The Philippine defence ministry labelled the video as "contemptible propaganda" and stated that it "exposes the moral and intellectual bankruptcy of China's propaganda machine". "The recent spate of schizophrenic behaviour of the Chinese Communist Party is too clear to disregard or ignore," Defence Secretary Gilbert Teodoro said.

The previous week marked a decade since the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague ruled in favour of the Philippines, and concluded that the expansive claims of China in the South China Sea had no legal basis under international law.

However, Beijing has ignored the ruling, stating the tribunal lacks jurisdiction. Tensions between Beijing and Manila have risen sharply in recent years due to their overlapping claims. In the ongoing development, both sides accuse the other of provocations and altercations at sea, including some involving weapons such as swords, spears and knives.

In June, China placed a floating barrier at the entrance to the disputed Scarborough Shoal, but later removed it after the Philippines lodged formal diplomatic protests. During the same month, Beijing also imposed travel restrictions on Philippine Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro and his immediate family, barring them from entering mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau.