China urges US accountability over alleged vaccine disinfo in PH

MANILA, Philippines — The Chinese Embassy in Manila has called upon the United States Embassy to address accusations of a covert campaign to reportedly incite fears of China-made vaccines among Filipinos at the height of the coronavirus pandemic. 

"During the COVID-19 pandemic, out of the same geopolitical self-interest, the US, in addition to promoting 'America first', has unscrupulously smeared Chinese vaccines and medical supplies and thwarted Chinese donation of vaccines and medical supplies to the Philippines," the embassy said in a statement released on X. 

Remarks of the Spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy on US Ambassador to the Philippines’ Remarks about the South China Seahttps://t.co/z8yfNVNINI pic.twitter.com/5sFw9JUXMt

— ChineseEmbassyManila (@Chinaembmanila) June 28, 2024

The statement was released after US Ambassador to the Philippines MaryKay Carlson called on China to stop the “harassment” of Philippine vessels in the West Philippine Sea and to uphold freedom of navigation and overflight rights for all nations.

According to the Chinese Embassy,  the disinformation effort allegedly led "to tens of thousands of deaths in the Philippines, and endangered the health of people in the region."

"The Filipino people and the international community deserve transparency. Why has the US Embassy in the Philippines remained silent on this issue? Shouldn't the United States be held accountable for its actions during the pandemic?" the Chinese Embassy said.

A Reuters investigation found that from 2020 to 2021, a coordinated campaign used 300 fake social media accounts to spread fear about China's vaccination program. These accounts, created in the summer of 2020, used the hashtag #Chinaangvirus (China is the virus).

The accounts aimed to create fear about the Sinovac vaccines and other health supplies from China. 

Sinovac vaccines were the first COVID-19 shots available in the Philippines, arriving in February 2021.

Reuters also reported that the Pentagon initiated the influence operation against China "as payback for Beijing's efforts to blame Washington for the pandemic." 

Earlier on Friday (Manila time), a top US official told a Chinese counterpart that Washington's defense commitments to the Philippines under the Mutual Defense Treaty were "ironclad" following a violent clash in the West Philippine Sea that led to injuries of Filipino troops. — with reports by Cristina Chi