embassy in the Philippines has hired Manila-based Chinese-owned marketing agency InfinitUs Marketing Solutions (无限传媒) to carry out influence operations using fake social media accounts to weaken support for Philippine government policy and to sow discord over Manila’s security alliance with the US. The owner of InfinitUs, Paul Li (李品), also operates a business facilitating Chinese migration to the Philippines.
“The end goal (of China) is to make the Philippines compliant.”
InfinitUs has also been using the fake profiles to amplify anti-American content created by Filipino writers, including some who had received money from Beijing.
The scope of InfinitUs’s activities went beyond the pro-China propaganda. Its work included disparaging the US-Philippine alliance and Western-made COVID vaccines. InfinitUs had created Ni Hao Manila, a media outlet designed to look Filipino-run.
InfinitUs employees used accounts masquerading as pro-Beijing Filipinos to attack the US and abuse a prominent nationalist lawmaker. An Aug 2023 contract shows that the embassy had tasked InfinitUs with “guiding public opinion” on Facebook and X.
“ARMY ALWAYS SUPPORTS THE ADVOCACIES AND ACTIVITIES OF THE CHINESE AMBASSADOR’S PAGE,” read one work-progress report created for the embassy, referring to the troll army.
“Army propagated the special video explainer about the cons of the Typhon missile of the US being deployed (sic) the Philippines.”
The accounts also promoted pro-China content featuring Filipino media personalities. They include Rommel Banlaoi, a Chinese-educated counter-terrorism scholar whose 2022 nomination to be deputy national security advisor was successfully opposed by security officials.
Banlaoi was among dozens of prominent Filipinos who have received awards from the Association of Philippines-China Understanding (APCU) since 2021. The organization, re-established by ex-Philippine president Gloria Arroyo, is a CCP agency that the US previously accused of "co-opting subnational governments."
The embassy-funded awards came with thousands of dollars — multiples of the average Philippine monthly wage.
The government was aware “third-party proxies” echoed Chinese talking points that were then circulated by fake accounts “in an attempt to give it virality.”
X and YouTube host many accounts “which promote ‘happy nice China’ content (and sometimes more directly political content)”. These accounts usually did not disclose affiliation with Beijing despite likely being funded by the CCP.
In fall 2020, InfinitUs brought online several Facebook accounts. The behavior of one of the profiles — “Vince” — was representative of the set.
“Vince” often praised China and defended its coast guard, while regularly sharing embassy content. The account lauded China’s Sinovac vaccine and circulated negative articles about Western-made shots.
“We should stop fighting China” on the maritime issue, “Vince” wrote.
“Vince” also posted virtually identical reviews of businesses as two other accounts controlled by InfinitUs — a marker of inauthentic behavior.
InfinitUs was also behind profiles that attacked a prominent lawmaker. The firm’s Nov 2024 report related how those accounts swarmed the profile of then-Congressman Robert Ace Barbers, a vocal proponent of legislation to bolster Filipino maritime claims.
The document described an “aggressive comment campaign” on Barbers’ Facebook posts that month to “protest his negative comments about China in relation to the new maritime protocols.” Days after the legislation passed, uncorroborated accusations of criminality began to multiply on Barbers’ previously published posts.
Barbers’ posts typically attracted several dozen comments each, but responses surged to the hundreds in late Nov.
“These trolls were programmed to influence the Filipinos to vote for someone”, referring to May’s midterm elections for which Barbers was term-limited.
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https://reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/how-china-waged-an-infowar-against-us-interests-philippines-2025-10-06/…
embassy in the Philippines has hired Manila-based Chinese-owned marketing agency InfinitUs Marketing Solutions (无限传媒) to carry out influence operations using fake social media accounts to weaken support for Philippine government policy and to sow discord over Manila’s security alliance with the US. The owner of InfinitUs, Paul Li (李品), also operates a business facilitating Chinese migration to the Philippines.
“The end goal (of China) is to make the Philippines compliant.”
InfinitUs has also been using the fake profiles to amplify anti-American content created by Filipino writers, including some who had received money from Beijing.
The scope of InfinitUs’s activities went beyond the pro-China propaganda. Its work included disparaging the US-Philippine alliance and Western-made COVID vaccines. InfinitUs had created Ni Hao Manila, a media outlet designed to look Filipino-run.
InfinitUs employees used accounts masquerading as pro-Beijing Filipinos to attack the US and abuse a prominent nationalist lawmaker. An Aug 2023 contract shows that the 
government was aware “third-party proxies” echoed Chinese talking points that were then circulated by fake accounts “in an attempt to give it virality.”
X and YouTube host many accounts “which promote ‘happy nice China’ content (and sometimes more directly political content)”. These accounts usually did not disclose affiliation with Beijing despite likely being funded by the CCP.
In fall 2020, InfinitUs brought online several Facebook accounts. The behavior of one of the profiles — “Vince” — was representative of the set.
“Vince” often praised China and defended its coast guard, while regularly sharing embassy content. The account lauded China’s Sinovac vaccine and circulated negative articles about Western-made shots.
“We should stop fighting China” on the maritime issue, “Vince” wrote.
“Vince” also posted virtually identical reviews of businesses as two other accounts controlled by InfinitUs — a marker of inauthentic behavior.
InfinitUs was also behind profiles that attacked a prominent lawmaker. The firm’s Nov 2024 report related how those accounts swarmed the profile of then-Congressman Robert Ace Barbers, a vocal proponent of legislation to bolster Filipino maritime claims.
The document described an “aggressive comment campaign” on Barbers’ Facebook posts that month to “protest his negative comments about China in relation to the new maritime protocols.” Days after the legislation passed, uncorroborated accusations of criminality began to multiply on Barbers’ previously published posts.
Barbers’ posts typically attracted several dozen comments each, but responses surged to the hundreds in late Nov.
“These trolls were programmed to influence the Filipinos to vote for someone”, referring to May’s midterm elections for which Barbers was term-limited.
1/n
reuters.com/world/asia-pac
