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What is China’s interest in our national affairs?
Vice President Leni Robredo asked this question on Sunday, when she voiced alarm over Beijing’s possible role in the recently eliminated Facebook propaganda network, designed to garner support for, among other things, a possible 2022 led by the president’s daughter and the mayor of Davao, Sara Duterte. and China’s bets on the maritime row of the Western Philippine Sea.
Last week, Facebook revealed that it removed two disinformation networks: one with alleged links to the Philippine military and police, and another originating from Fujian, a province on China’s southeast coast. Both were marked for “coordinated inauthentic behavior (CIB)”.
Specifically, Facebook flagged them for potentially participating in foreign or government interference, which is CIB conducted on behalf of a foreign or government actor.
The Fujian-led network consists of about 150 pages and was primarily focused on promoting Sara Duterte’s potential candidacy in 2022.
Although modest in its operations and not directly linked to the Chinese government, it was the first public disclosure of Chinese efforts to influence the Philippine elections.
“Why is China meddling in our internal affairs?” Robredo asked during his weekly Sunday radio show. “We should be terrified of the implications of this. Why are they interested in our choices? Is this … because [interfering] protect your own interests? “
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