Amid Philippine anger over US anti-vax report, possible fallout could benefit China: analysts

A controversial report about an alleged campaign by the US military to discredit the effectiveness of China’s Sinovac vaccine in the Philippines at the height of Covid-19 has led to condemnations and demands for an investigation by Filipino government officials.

Analysts say the report could seriously damage Filipinos’ trust in the United States, which would benefit Beijing in the midst of its intense geopolitical rivalry with Washington over influence in the region.

In the wake of the report, which was published on Friday, a number of Philippine government officials have called for an inquiry into the alleged US disinformation campaign.

“The findings by Reuters deserve to be investigated and heard by the appropriate authorities of the involved countries,” Albert Domingo, assistant secretary at the Department of Health, told reporters on Sunday.

House of Representatives Deputy Minority Leader France Castro urged her House colleagues to look into the issue, which she described as “deeply troubling”.

“The impact of this operation on public health cannot be overstated. Public health experts have rightly criticised this campaign for endangering lives and undermining trust in vaccines, including those manufactured in the United States,” Castro said on Sunday.

The report alleges the US military used a combination of fake social media accounts on multiple platforms to spread fear of China’s vaccines among the Filipino public at a time when the virus was killing tens of thousands of people each day.

The US Defence Department did not deny the report and suggested on Sunday that the effort was an attempt to counter “malign influence campaigns” run by Beijing.

While some Filipino officials called for an investigation into its accusations,