The Chinese embassy in the Philippines criticised the U.S. military for “hypocrisy, malign intentions, and double standards” after reports surfaced alleging a clandestine U.S. campaign to erode confidence in Chinese vaccines and aid during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Chinese Embassy in Manila’s spokesperson made these remarks on Tuesday in response to a Reuters investigative report, which claimed that the U.S. military launched a covert program during the pandemic to discredit China’s Sinovac vaccine in the Philippines.
The report found that the U.S. military aimed to sow doubt about the safety and efficacy of vaccines and other life-saving aid supplied by China.
Conducting their efforts through fake internet accounts impersonating Filipinos, the military’s propaganda turned into an anti-vaccine campaign.
“People around the world are outraged by the U.S. military’s actions, which lay bare the hypocrisy, malign intentions, and double standards of the United States,” an embassy spokesperson said in a statement.
“While talking about respecting human rights, the United States does the opposite when it comes to the fundamental human rights of life and health of the Filipino people,” the spokesperson added.
Requests for comment from the U.S. Embassy in Manila were redirected to the Department of Defense.
According to the Reuters report, a senior official from the Defense Department confirmed that the U.S. military had conducted covert propaganda to undermine confidence in China’s vaccine in the developing world but did not disclose additional details.
According to the report, a Pentagon spokeswoman stated that the U.S. military “employs various platforms, including social media, to counter malign influence attacks targeting the U.S., allies, and partners”.
She also noted China’s initiation of a “disinformation campaign falsely accusing the United States of spreading COVID-19”.
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