China is accused of using its information and disinformation operations to create chaos among Filipinos when it comes to what's happening in the West Philippine Sea.
This alarming revelation was revealed by Philippines' National Security Adviser Eduardo Año on Friday, Dec. 1. During the inauguration of the new Coast Guard station in Pag-asa Island, Año shared his speech.
A Chinese national flag is pictured during the medal ceremony for the women's 63kg judo event during the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou in China's eastern Zhejiang province on September 25, 2023.
China Accused of Causing Chaos Among Filipinos Using Information Operations
Eduardo Año claimed that the strategic information operations of China come while the Philippine government is trying to unite its people in the country's stance on WPS.
"I have come to realize that China's multifaceted approach includes information operations that are specifically designed to create divisions within our nation," said the national security adviser via PhilStar Global.
Aside from Eduardo Año, Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson Jay Tarriela and Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro also speculated that the Chinese government is using information operations.
They claim that these disinformation tactics spread false and questionable narratives online as the tension in the West Philippine Sea worsens.
Teodoro said in October that China's playbook includes relying on information and misinformation operators to create a WPS narrative that will favor the Chinese government.
Meanwhile, Tarriela said that they noticed that these fake West Philippine Sea campaigns appear to be sponsored by the Chinese government.
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How Philippines Plans to Handle China's Disinformation
A man points a water hose on a photo of Chinese President Xi Jinping as he joins a protest outside the Chinese Consulate in Makati, Metro Manila on August 11, 2023, to condemn the water canon incident between China and Philippines Coast Guards at West Philippine Sea.
During the last week of November, Sen. Robin Padilla urged the Presidential Communications Office to enhance its awareness campaign regarding WPS.
He filed a resolution, which suggests helping the public learn about the 2016 arbitral ruling that invalidated the Chinese government's claims in parts of the South China Sea.
The resolution provided by Robin Padilla also includes making relevant WPS legal documents and international conventions available for public learning.
The Philippines is just one of the countries that are suffering from China's growing disinformation efforts. Recently, CNN's investigation discovered that China is using the world's largest known disinformation system.
Investigators claimed that the Chinese government is using this to harass Americans. CNN said that they found this massive Chinese information operation after reviewing court documents and public disclosures by social media companies.
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