Calls for sanctions as Philippine probe accuses Chinese embassy of influence campaign
A Philippine Senate probe has accused the Chinese embassy in Manila of funding a covert online influence campaign aimed at discrediting the country's military and critics of Beijing ahead of midterm elections – prompting calls for diplomatic sanctions and potential criminal prosecution.
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If the allegations prove to be true, the operation – said to involve hundreds of fake social media accounts – could lead to the expulsion of embassy personnel and legal action under a rarely invoked 84-year-old law targeting subversive acts during peacetime, analysts have warned.
The Chinese embassy and its local partner, Infinitus Marketing Solutions, have strongly denied the accusations. In a Senate hearing on Monday, however, the company's CEO confirmed receiving funds from the embassy, while maintaining there was no connection to a disinformation campaign.
Paul Li, the Chinese national who heads Infinitus, told lawmakers a cheque of 930,000 pesos (US$16,780) from the embassy – presented as evidence they had been hired to operate the disinformation campaign during a previous hearing – was in fact payment for organising a June 2023 event attended by President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr.
Li confirmed 'we are the PR company for the Chinese embassy' during his testimony before the Senate's Special Committee on Philippine Maritime and Admiralty Zones, chaired by Senate Majority Leader Francis Tolentino.
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However, he denied the claims that his firm managed a network of 330 fictitious accounts on Facebook and X allegedly used to manipulate public sentiment.
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