This is outright racism and an open mockery of international law — portraying the Philippines as a monkey and dismissing the Arbitral Award as nothing more than a script written by the US and Japan. pic.twitter.com/zXZ8MptzIu
— Jay Tarriela (@jaytaryela) July 16, 2026
A 58-second video by China Daily depicting a monkey singing “wrong lyrics” about the 2016 South China Sea ruling has drawn fierce criticism. In the clip, a whale brands the monkey “ocean garbage.” Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson Jay Tarriela sharply rejected the caricature, stating, “We are not monkeys,” and pointing out China’s history of complaining about similar depictions.
The video was released on the 10th anniversary of the Permanent Court of Arbitration’s landmark ruling, which rejected Beijing’s “nine-dash line” claims. That same week, the Philippines and 13 other nations reaffirmed the binding nature of the 2016 decision, calling for peaceful resolutions to ongoing tensions like vessel blockades.