China denies interference in Philippine midterm elections

MANILA, Philippines — Beijing's foreign ministry dismissed on Thursday, April 24, accusations from a Philippine security executive that China is trying to covertly influence the upcoming May elections.

"China follows the principle of non-interference in other countries' domestic affairs. We have no interest in interfering in Philippine elections," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun told reporters at a press conference.

Guo's brief statement denying the allegation was in response to a request for comment on the testimony of National Security Council (NSC) Spokesperson Jonathan Malaya at a Senate hearing on Thursday.

Malaya alleged during the Senate hearing that there were "indications" of China-sponsored "information operations" interfering in the upcoming midterm elections. 

The NSC spokesperson explained that these information operations appear as narratives that third-party proxies amplify on social media, with the "script" supposedly originating from Beijing. 

During the same Senate hearing, Senate Majority Leader Francis Tolentino presented what he described as a contract between the Chinese Embassy in Manila and a Makati marketing firm called Infinitus Marketing Solutions Inc. 

According to Tolentino, the deal involved hiring "keyboard warriors" to spread pro-China messages and attack lawmakers and electoral candidates who are vocal about defending the Philippines' sovereign rights in the West Philippine Sea.

Tolentino, who considers himself among the targeted anti-China candidates, said the alleged contract was between Wu Chenqi, the embassy's media relations director, and Myka Poynton from Infinitus. 

The Chinese Embassy in Manila has yet to comment on the allegations made against it during the Senate inquiry. 

Comelec Chairperson George Garcia said yesterday the poll body is aware of a coordinated campaign on social media intended to cast doubt on the legitimacy of the May elections. 

In August 2024, months before the start of the election campaign period, Philstar.com identified dozens of suspicious bot accounts amplifying corruption allegations against Comelec officials, displaying patterns consistent with coordinated influence operations. 

Philstar.com also previously reported on a coordinated campaign by anonymous accounts on Chinese social media that sought to warn of a potential "civil war" in the Philippines after local politicians called for Mindanao to secede.