Beijing spreads manipulated message; Philippines, Allies and Partners strengthen security

FORUM Staff

With the People’s Republic of China (PRC) facing international opposition to its coercion campaign in the South China Sea, its operatives are trying to change the narrative by amplifying a debunked deepfake video.

The latest high-tech hoax targeting Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. — a discredited clip that purports to show Marcos using an illicit drug — was first circulated in July 2024 by a political opponent’s supporters. Researchers with the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) say attempts to spread the fraudulent video, however, are “very likely linked to the Chinese government.”

More than 90 inauthentic accounts sharing the video on social media platforms X and YouTube are probably part of Spamouflage, ASPI reported. The network operated by the PRC’s Ministry of Public Security uses fake and hijacked accounts to disseminate false and misleading information and has been used to harass journalists, lawmakers and Chinese dissidents. Almost all the accounts amplifying the latest deepfake were active only during Beijing business hours and reflect ongoing propaganda and manipulation campaigns, ASPI analysts said.

Social media companies have dismantled PRC-linked information manipulation networks as the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) tries to gain influence in the Philippines and elsewhere.

Under Marcos’ leadership, the Philippines has adopted a strategy of “assertive transparency” to expose Beijing’s actions in the South China Sea. The PRC claims most of the economically vital waterway, in defiance of a 2016 international tribunal’s ruling that the territorial assertion has no legal foundation. Attempting to normalize the discredited claims, the CCP has for more than a decade used the Chinese coast guard and maritime militia to block, ram, threaten and otherwise harass Philippine military and civilian vessels lawfully operating in Manila’s exclusive economic zone.

Allies and Partners in the Indo-Pacific and beyond have condemned the CCP’s assaults.

The Philippines has forged defense and security relationships with more than 30 nations as it safeguards sovereignty in the South China Sea. They include regional partners also facing maritime coercion from the CCP, such as Indonesia, Japan and Vietnam. Manila’s Navy and Coast Guard increasingly conduct joint drills and patrols with partners including Australia, Canada, France, India, the United States and Vietnam.

Manila and Tokyo signed a Reciprocal Access Agreement in July 2024 that allows the nations to deploy their troops in each other’s territory for training and exercises, and the Philippines is set to draft military interoperability agreements with other like-minded nations, Philippine broadcaster ABS-CBN reported.

The Philippines-U.S. Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement grants U.S. forces access to nine sites in the Philippines for security cooperation exercises, joint training, and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief activities. The U.S. also participates in regular military exercises and patrols in the region to uphold a Free and Open Indo-Pacific, including the right to navigate in international waters and airspace.

In its examination of the deepfake video targeting Marcos, ASPI proposed increased cooperation among the Philippines and its partners to counter “cyber-enabled foreign interference and malign influence in the Indo-Pacific.”

“China’s destabilizing activities in the region will require a collective response from the Philippines and partners willing to maintain an open, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific that is inclusive and resilient,” the analysis concluded. “By doing so, the Philippines and other Indo-Pacific nations can safeguard their sovereignty and maintain the integrity of their democracies amidst China’s attempts to undermine social cohesion.”