Graphika In The News: Reuters On China's Cyber War Against Philippines, U.S. Interests

To improve its declining image in the Philippines, China hired Philippine firm InfinitUS to run fake social media accounts and wage a cyber war on its behalf.

A new investigation from Reuters - featuring evaluation of the efforts by Graphika's intelligence team - found evidence of a cyber campaign paid for by China to impact support for Philippine government policy. Also notably in their sights: posting content to sow discord over Manila's security alliance with the United States, negatively critiquing Western-made COVID vaccines, and disparaging Philippine maritime claims. Former InfinitUS employees also told Reuters that the agency created Ni Hao Manila, a media outlet designed to look Filipino-run, for China.

In the process, Reuters found that the China gave out cash awards to prominent Filipino officials and media personalities. Fake profiles to amplify anti-American content created by Filipino writers was also employed as a strategy, according to Reuters.

Posts from one of the profiles involved in Reuters' investigation - a young man named “Vince Dimaano" - were among those evaluated by Graphika Investigator Margot Hardy for Reuters reporters.

"Vince" was observed praising China, defending its coast guard, praising China's Sinovac vaccine, and regularly sharing embassy content, among other activities.

Hardy confirmed markers of inauthentic behavior by "Vince" - notably "virtually identical reviews of businesses as two other accounts Reuters identified as controlled by InfinitUs."

As for the faux Ni Hao Manila media outlet, videos highlighting Beijing’s naval prowess and criticizing Philippine security cooperation with the United States. Graphika assessed that the outlet's TikTok channel exhibited inorganic behavior, such as videos with hundreds of likes but not a single comment. A former InfinitUS employee told Reuters that the firm had purchased fake likes and follows on behalf of China.

In response to the findings compiled by Reuters, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson stated that Beijing does not interfere in other countries' internal affairs.

That influence operations in Philippines have ramped up is indicative of "Manila's increasing strategic importance to Washington and Beijing due to its proximity to Taiwan," Reuters noted, given that China’s leaders have asked their military to be the democratically governed island by 2027.