Video apparently depicting Filipinos as monkeys on China media draws Manila’s protest

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — The Philippine government strongly protested to China what it said was the depiction of Filipinos as monkeys in an editorial video publicized by a Chinese state-owned media outlet, and demanded it be taken down. The Department of Foreign Affairs in Manila said Friday that the series of opinion and editorial videos [...]

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MANILA, Philippines (AP) — The Philippine government strongly protested to China what it said was the depiction of Filipinos as monkeys in an editorial video publicized by a Chinese state-owned media outlet, and demanded it be taken down. The Department of Foreign Affairs in Manila said Friday that the series of opinion and editorial videos and cartoons, particularly an animated video posted by the China Daily on its Facebook page on July 10, centered on Beijing’s rejection of a 2016 arbitration ruling that invalidated China’s expansive claims in the disputed South China Sea.

The Philippines initiated the arbitration in 2013, after China seized a shoal west of the Philippines following a tense standoff. China questioned the jurisdiction of the tribunal in The Hague, refused to take part in the proceedings and rejected its ruling as a sham. China Daily’s video posted on Facebook shows a monkey holding a piece of paper scribbled with “South China Sea arbitration Award” and wearing what resembles a traditional Philippine shirt with a rural hat and tattered pants.

Two hands with sleeves separately marked “USA” and “Japan” later hurl the monkey into the sea, where it’s blasted away by a water cannon of what looks like a Chinese coast guard ship. The caption mocks the arbitration ruling by saying that it’s not a remedy for peace “but a