The China Daily’s AI-generated video of a monkey wearing Filipino national costume has triggered a diplomatic protest from the Philippines, raising tensions days before Beijing’s top diplomat joins a regional meeting in Manila.
The Philippines’ Department of Foreign Affairs said the content from the Chinese state media was “deeply offensive, distressing, and unacceptable.” The animated video also depicted the monkey as acting on orders from U.S. and Japan, and being hit by a water cannon. It also called the 2016 international arbitral ruling that rejected Beijing’s expansive claims over the South China Sea as “litter.”
“The Philippines demands that the offensive material be taken down, calls for the immediate cessation of such irresponsible content, and urges China to uphold dignity, respect, and truth in public discourse,” the department said in a statement late Thursday. It later said that a formal protest was lodged on Friday morning.