The government on Friday filed a protest against state-run publication China Daily’s racist depiction of Filipinos in a series of video commentaries and editorial cartoons on the 2016 South China Sea Arbitral Award.

The barrage of offensive sketches included an AI-generated video portraying the country as a monkey controlled by the United States and Japan, as part of its fresh effort to undermine the 2016 arbitral ruling that favored the Philippines.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Friday the filing was the result of China’s blatant disregard of the Philippines’ request to immediately take down the materials, as they ran counter to the two nations’ shared commitment to mutual respect despite their longstanding maritime row in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).

Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Jing Quan was personally notified about the appeal on Thursday, according to the DFA, though no action was taken.

The DFA argued that the state-controlled Chinese media “went beyond legitimate political debate by resorting to demeaning, dehumanizing, and racist depictions of Filipinos.”

“The department remains committed to dialogue and diplomacy in its engagement with China, but will not hesitate to call out discriminatory and offensive rhetoric, whatever happens,” the DFA stressed.

The department said the Philippine-China disagreement over legal and political issues cannot be invoked to justify the use of such imagery, drawing a firm line against discriminatory propaganda.

China Daily has a long history of publishing editorial cartoons ridiculing Manila over its robust stance on the WPS, but what crossed the line was the AI-generated video depicting the Philippines as a monkey dressed in a barong Tagalog and a salakot.

Timed for arbitral ruling day

The minute-long video was posted on 10 July, two days before the 10th anniversary of the 2016 landmark ruling handed down by The Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration, which unanimously dismissed Beijing’s sweeping claim on the WPS as invalid and baseless.

A portion of the video showed the monkey holding up the South China Sea Arbitration Award before it was shoved into the sea by figures representing the US and Japan and blasted with a water cannon.

The video had not been taken down as of press time.

Senators joined the DFA in calling for the immediate take-down of the “racist stereotype” video, with Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan demanding that Beijing order China Daily to issue a public apology and hold to account those responsible for its release.

Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian and Senator Robin Padilla agreed that freedom of expression is “not a license” or “excuse” for China Daily to dehumanize, mock, and humiliate Filipinos, adding that the opposing stances between Manila and Beijing should be addressed through diplomacy and respect.

In the same vein, Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri lamented that “China has crossed the line, but we will take the high road and refuse to answer such provocation with the same contempt.”

Although the Philippines and China have maintained friendly ties, the two nations have long been embroiled in a maritime row over Beijing’s expansive claim to almost the entire South China Sea, including areas that overlap with the WPS.

The 2016 arbitral ruling invalidated China’s nine-dash line claim over the vast majority of the SCS, holding that it had no legal basis under international law.

China has never honored the decision, calling it “a worthless piece of paper that is illegal, null and void, and has no binding force” on Beijing.

As the Philippines marked a decade since the arbitral award on 12 July, 13 countries allied with Manila, including the US, Japan, Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom, strongly urged China to abide by the ruling, which they affirmed was “final, legally binding and definitive” consistent with international law.

Teodoro issues condemnation

Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. also condemned the “dehumanizing and racist” portrayal of the country as a timid monkey strong-armed by the US and Japan.

Teodoro called the video “contemptible propaganda,” saying it “exposes the moral and intellectual bankruptcy of China’s propaganda machine.”