Overview
- The state-run China Daily posted an AI-generated editorial video on July 10 that showed a monkey in clothing resembling traditional Filipino dress being mocked for the 2016 South China Sea arbitration award and then hurled into the sea and hit by a ship's water cannon.
- Philippine officials first raised a "firm objection" with Chinese Ambassador Jing Quan on July 16 and on July 17 lodged a formal diplomatic protest and sent a letter from its Beijing embassy to China Daily’s editor demanding the immediate takedown of the material.
- Senior Philippine figures publicly denounced the video as racist and demeaning, with Coast Guard spokesman Rear-Admiral Jay Tarriela saying "Filipinos are not monkeys" and Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro calling the clip "contemptible propaganda."
- China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson said the video "does not represent the official position" but reiterated Beijing’s rejection of the 2016 arbitral ruling that invalidated its broad South China Sea claims.
- The episode highlights how state-backed media and AI content can inflame long-running South China Sea tensions and could increase diplomatic friction and maritime confrontations between Manila and Beijing.