‘China lost moral ground in depicting Pinoys as monkeys’
Philippine lawmakers have condemned a state-owned Chinese media video that depicted Filipinos as monkeys, calling it a racist insult that undermines diplomatic relations. The Department of Foreign Affairs has filed a formal protest against the content.
Why it matters
The incident highlights the deteriorating diplomatic climate between the Philippines and China, exacerbated by ongoing maritime disputes in the West Philippine Sea.
MANILA, Philippines - Portraying more than 100 million Filipinos as monkeys in China's claim of ownership over the West Philippine Sea (WPS) means their leaders have lost logic and moral ground in their attempt to take over the country's maritime territory, lawmakers said over the weekend.
"A civilization secure in its convictions has no need to demean another people. When a foreign state-owned publication abandons reasoned argument in favor of calculated insult, it does not strengthen its country's position - it weakens it," House minority leader Marcelino Libanan said.
"There is simply no justification for a foreign state-owned publication to portray an entire nation in such a contemptuous manner. Such imagery advances neither understanding nor constructive dialogue," Libanan added.
"It merely breeds resentment and unnecessarily strains the goodwill that generations of Filipinos and Chinese have patiently cultivated through commerce, education, cultural exchange and family ties," he said.
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