The Department of Foreign Affairs in Manila said Friday that the series of opinion and editorial videos and cartoons, particularly an animated video posted by the China Daily on its Facebook page on July 10, centered on Beijing’s rejection of a 2016 arbitration ruling that invalidated China’s expansive claims in the disputed South China Sea.
The Philippines initiated the arbitration in 2013, after China seized a shoal west of the Philippines following a tense standoff. China questioned the jurisdiction of the tribunal in The Hague, refused to take part in the proceedings and rejected its ruling as a sham.