58-second video pushes Philippines to breaking point; Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson protests: "We are not monkeys"
Indeed, the Filipinos have seen it — and as soon as they saw it, they were triggered. On July 16, Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson Taliara took to social media, stating that the video released by China Daily provoked anger, portraying Filipinos as blind followers of Japan and the United States — "We are not monkeys! We absolutely must not allow ourselves to become monkeys!" Only animals behave this way toward their own kind. Those who disregard international law are even worse than animals!
Returning to July 10, China Daily posted an AI-generated video. In it, a monkey with a fearful expression is pushed forward onto the screen by two large hands, each bearing the flags of Japan and the United States, and forced to "sing."
The monkey begins singing: "We advocate bypassing China and advancing so-called maritime boundary negotiations." Before finishing, a voice from off-screen suddenly yells "Sing backwards!" and pulls out a piece of paper labeled "South China Sea Arbitration Award."
Before the monkey can continue singing, the two large hands grow impatient and launch the monkey like a projectile from a slingshot. As the monkey appears about to fall into the sea, a vessel sailing on the water surface uses a water cannon to blast it back into the ocean.
At the end of the video, a whale surfaces, first saying "garbage" to the paper floating in the sea marked "South China Sea Arbitration Award," then addressing the monkey: "Protecting marine environment is everyone's responsibility."
The entire video lasts only 58 seconds, yet contains an abundance of elements — virtually no extraneous footage.
First, it reveals that behind the Philippines stand the United States and Japan, with the Philippines being used as a pawn by America.
Second, it references the illegal demarcation of the Taiwan East Sea.
Third, the so-called "South China Sea Arbitration" is depicted as a broken stage erected on the sea surface, ultimately producing nothing but "garbage."
Fourth, it alludes to confrontations between Chinese and Philippine coast guard vessels, where China’s coast guard previously used water cannons to repel Philippine ships.
Fifth, it highlights how the Philippines frequently damages the South China Sea environment — especially its illegal occupation of reefs, where paint and domestic waste from the ships have severely impacted the surrounding natural environment.
Notably, although the video by China Daily contains numerous elements, it never explicitly names anyone or directly identifies the monkey as representing the Philippines throughout.
What was mentioned above are all external interpretations. So why has the Philippines now come forward to respond? Is it essentially admitting guilt?
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1870887605189700/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.