Philippines launches comic to counter China’s South China Sea claims

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines launched a comic book on Friday to counter what the country says is China’s disinformation campaign to push its expansive territorial claims in the South China Sea.

The 40-page comic book, titled “The Stories of Teacher Jun,” was unveiled by Philippine officials. It contains colorful caricatures of a Filipino teacher and his young students discussing the complex territorial disputes in simple terms and highlights the Philippine position.

One fictional student in the book describes China as a bully and another says Beijing’s “behavior is outrageous.”

“Chinese officials, along with state-sponsored media and individuals, continue to spread distorted and twisted narratives to malign our efforts and justify their unilateral claims,” national security adviser Eduardo Ano said in a speech at the book launching in Manila.

The Philippines will do everything to “fight misinformation, disinformation and false narratives to put forward the truth,” Ano told reporters.

The Philippines has faced a lopsided battle against the militarily superior China in the disputed waters of the South China Sea, prompting it to strengthen security alliances with the United States and other friendly states to build deterrence against Beijing’s aggressive actions.

Two years ago, the Philippines adopted a shame campaign by releasing videos and photographs of China’s increasingly assertive actions in the contested waters, including the use of powerful water cannons and dangerous blocking maneuvers, to domestic and international audiences.

But the territorial spats , particularly between Chinese and Philippine coast guard forces, have continued.

The ambassadors of the United States and Canada, among the key supporters of the Philippines in confronting China’s increasingly assertive actions in the disputed waterway, attended the comic book launch. Officials from the Philippine Coast Guard and military, and the education secretary, were also present.

There was no immediate comment from Chinese officials, but they have repeatedly reasserted their claims to virtually the entire waterway and accused the Philippines and other rival claimant states of encroachments.

Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan also lay claim to the busy sea passage, a key global trade route with rich fishing grounds and undersea gas deposits.

About 11,000 copies of the comic book have been distributed for free, and thousands more will be printed depending on the availability of financial donations, said Philippine Coast Guard Commodore Jay Tarriela, one of the proponents of the book project.

The intended recipients are young students and Filipinos in far-flung regions with limited access to news sources. Foreign readers who show an interest could be provided with copies of the book in their language, officials said.

“This initiative aims to highlight our maritime rights and entitlements while revealing China’s unlawful activities, aggressive behavior and bullying tactics,” Ano said. “It is crucial for us to shed light on these actions as transparency is a powerful tool in combating misinformation.”

菲律宾马尼拉——菲律宾周五推出了一本漫画书，以反击该国所称的中国为推进其在南海的广泛领土主张而发起的虚假信息宣传活动。

这本名为《俊老师的故事》的40页漫画书由菲律宾官员揭幕。书中以色彩鲜艳的漫画描绘了一位菲律宾教师和他的学生们用浅显易懂的语言讨论复杂的领土争端，并重点阐述了菲律宾的立场。

书中一位虚构的学生将中国描述为一个恶霸，另一位学生则说北京的“行为令人愤慨”。

“中国官员，以及官方媒体和个人，继续散布歪曲事实的言论，诋毁我们的努力，并为他们的单方面主张辩护，”国家安全顾问爱德华多·阿诺在马尼拉举行的新书发布会上发表讲话时说。

阿诺告诉记者，菲律宾将竭尽全力“打击虚假信息、错误信息和虚假叙事，以传播真相”。

菲律宾在南海争议水域与军事实力更胜一筹的中国展开了一场实力悬殊的较量，这促使菲律宾加强与美国和其他友好国家的安全联盟，以威慑北京的侵略行为。

两年前，菲律宾发起了一场羞辱运动，向国内外观众发布了中国在争议水域日益强硬的行动的视频和照片，包括使用威力强大的水炮和危险的封锁行动。

但领土争端，特别是中国和菲律宾海警之间的争端，仍在继续。

美国和加拿大大使是菲律宾对抗中国在争议水道日益强硬的行动的关键支持者，他们出席了漫画书发布会。菲律宾海岸警卫队和军方官员以及教育部长也出席了活动。

中国官员尚未对此发表评论，但他们一再重申对几乎整个水道的主权声索，并指责菲律宾和其他声索国侵犯其领土。

越南、马来西亚、文莱和台湾也对这条繁忙的海上航道提出主权声索，这条航道是重要的全球贸易路线，拥有丰富的渔场和海底天然气储量。

菲律宾海岸警卫队准将杰伊·塔里埃拉是该漫画书项目的倡导者之一，他表示，目前已免费分发了约 11,000 册漫画书，并将根据捐款情况印刷数千册。

这本书的目标读者是年轻学生和居住在偏远地区、新闻资源有限的菲律宾民众。官员表示，有兴趣的外国读者可以获得他们母语版本的书籍。

阿诺表示：“这项倡议旨在强调我们的海洋权利和权益，同时揭露中国的非法活动、侵略行为和霸凌手段。对我们来说，揭露这些行为至关重要，因为透明度是打击虚假信息的有力工具。”