Philippines Condemns China Daily Over Racist AI-Generated Video

MANILA — The Philippines has strongly condemned China’s state-run China Daily for publishing an AI-generated video that depicted Filipinos as monkeys, branding the "racist" imagery as "offensive, distressing and unacceptable."

In a Reuters report, Manila demanded that the video, uploaded to China Daily's Facebook account on 10 July 2026, be removed immediately. The Chinese Embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The animated clip depicted a monkey dressed in Filipino clothing being directed on what to sing by hands representing the United States and Japan. After being labelled "stupid", the monkey pulled out a sheet of lyrics reading "South China Sea arbitration award" before being thrown into the sea and blasted by a vessel's water cannon.

Philippine Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro denounced the material as "contemptible propaganda" and "a disgrace to any State that claims to exercise responsible regional leadership." He argued that the incident exposed "the weakness of a government that resorts to racism, threats, and manufactured hatred because it has utterly failed to defend its ridiculous claims through reason, evidence, or law."

Teodoro added late on Thursday that the mockery of the lawful 2016 Arbitral Award and the glorification of violence against Filipino citizens and soldiers exposed the "moral and intellectual bankruptcy" of China's propaganda machine.

The state media video was posted on 10 July 2026, coinciding with Philippine events marking the 10th anniversary of the landmark arbitral ruling that invalidated China's expansive claims in the South China Sea—a ruling Beijing continues to reject.

Teodoro further criticised the Chinese Communist Party's "schizophrenic behaviour", stating that this latest act of dehumanisation showed they are "neither a secure and confident actor nor a trustworthy neighbour."

The diplomatic clash occurs amidst heightened tensions between Manila and Beijing over South China Sea territories. Relations have been strained by repeated maritime confrontations, aggressive manoeuvres by Chinese vessels, Beijing's sanctions on Teodoro, and the recent dispute over a floating barrier installed by China at the Scarborough Shoal, which was later dismantled following Philippine protests.

"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," the Philippine foreign ministry said in a statement released late on Thursday.

Watch the video from China Daily Facebook page: