A Philippines state-owned radio station has been accused of spreading Chinese Communist Party (CCP) propaganda for airing a program promoting Chinese culture and Mandarin language, Philippine news outlet Coconuts Manila reported on Monday.
State-run Radyo Pilipinas or “Philippine Radio” airs a cultural program called Wow China once a week promoting cross-cultural exchange between the Philippines and China. Although it has aired since last September, a recent episode from May 10 prompted criticism from the Filipino audience, who objected to segments that they considered overt CCP propaganda, such as a Mandarin Chinese language lesson.
The critics also pointed out that the latest episode aired at a time when cultural and political tensions between the Philippines and China are especially high, citing Beijing’s recent and increasing military aggression toward the Philippines in the disputed South China Sea.
“Light conversations and information-packed knowledge! We’ll get to know our Chinese siblings for better communication and cooperation!” proclaimed an announcer during the show’s opening credits.
A video component of the show airs online via Wow China‘s Facebook page. Over the weekend, Coconuts Manila reported that an overwhelming number of comments on the program’s Facebook page were critical.
“We’re being invaded by China with the blessing[s] of the Duterte government,” wrote one Facebook user, referring to Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, who many Filipinos accuse of failing to stand up to China.
“Madam Host, can you ask your colleague what his reaction is about China stealing our islands in the West Philippine Sea,” wrote another user.
The West Philippine Sea refers to eastern sections of the South China Sea included in the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone. Last month, Beijing announced that it had set up a special administrative district in the South China Sea to govern the Philippines’ Spratly Islands, despite having no legal claim over them. The Philippines formally protested the violation of sovereignty.
During Wow China‘s May 10 episode, the show’s hosts led listeners through a guided Mandarin Chinese lesson taught by an instructor from the Confucius Institute of the University of the Philippines, identified simply as “Teacher Serenity.” The Confucius Institute is the Chinese Ministry of Education’s Mandarin language promotion program.
Philippines news outlet Rappler reports that Wow China airs on a program operated by the Philippine Broadcasting Service, which is controlled by the Presidential Communications Operations Office and China Radio International, a Chinese state-owned international broadcaster based in Beijing.
On April 27, the Chinese embassy in Manila released a controversial music video promoting a “shared future” between China and the Philippines in the disputed South China Sea that many Filipinos also viewed as CCP propaganda. China illegally encroaches on Philippine sovereign territory in the South China Sea, laying claim to coveted maritime zones, despite a 2016 international court ruling in the Philippines’ favor declaring China’s claims in the sea to be unlawful.