When Chinese ships fired water cannons at Filipino boats near Ayungin Shoal, the aggression was clear. But what most Filipinos didn’t see was that another battle was already underway, this time on their phones. As new evidence reveals, China’s Hybrid War is not only being fought across reefs and shoals, but also across timelines and comment sections.
Inside China’s Hybrid War
According to documents obtained by international media, a Manila-based marketing firm ran hundreds of fake social media accounts paid for by the Chinese embassy. These accounts posed as ordinary Filipinos, spreading pro-Beijing narratives, mocking the U.S.-Philippine alliance, and even questioning Manila’s maritime claims. The same campaign reportedly boosted a China-backed media outlet called Ni Hao Manila, which disguised itself as a local news source.
While ships at sea were blocking Filipino fishermen, digital “troll fleets” were flooding Facebook and X with carefully crafted praise for China’s diplomacy. Many of these posts pushed talking points that portrayed Beijing as a friend and the West as a threat… especially during moments of real-world tension, such as the water-cannon incidents and debates over U.S. military access in Philippine bases.
From propaganda to policy pressure
Security experts warn that this kind of coordinated information warfare seeks to erode public confidence in the Philippines’ alliances and leadership. Analysts like Jonathan Malaya, a former National Security Council official, note that Beijing’s influence campaigns aim to make the country more “compliant” by dividing opinion and softening resistance to Chinese actions in the West Philippine Sea.
The pattern fits what researchers call hybrid warfare: the blending of military intimidation, economic leverage, and psychological operations. China’s coast guard may push boundaries at sea, while its online proxies try to reshape Filipino opinion — often amplifying local voices already sympathetic to Beijing. Awards, sponsorships, and online promotion blur the line between cultural diplomacy and covert persuasion.
The Philippines as a testing ground
This hybrid strategy isn’t new. During the pandemic, both China and the United States used social media influence campaigns to defend their vaccines and undermine each other’s. But the Philippines, with its massive social media usage and deep strategic value near Taiwan, has become a testing ground for more sophisticated narrative warfare.
Lawmakers in Manila are now considering new legislation to penalize foreign-funded disinformation. Yet digital literacy and enforcement lag far behind the speed of these campaigns. As President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. strengthens security ties with Washington, the online contest for Filipino hearts and minds is only intensifying.
Why it matters
China’s Hybrid War shows that sovereignty today isn’t only defended by coast guard cutters but also by informed citizens. The country may win diplomatic protests and patrols, but if its people’s trust is quietly eroded online, the outcome at sea could one day be decided in cyberspace.
