Pentagon concedes to spreading anti-Sinovac propaganda in Philippines

The US Defense Department has acknowledged disseminating propaganda in the Philippines that sought to undermine the credibility of China’s Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine.

Former Philippine official Harry Roque, who previously served as spokesman for former President Rodrigo Duterte, shared the information in a podcast, Caliber.Az reports citing the foreign media.

Reuters later confirmed the document’s authenticity with a source familiar with the US response. The document, which has not been made public by either government, indicates that the Pentagon engaged in messaging that questioned the safety and efficacy of the Sinovac vaccine, targeting audiences in the Philippines.

The Pentagon admitted to making "missteps" in its COVID-related messaging but assured that it has since enhanced oversight and accountability of its information operations.

The US Defense Department's acknowledgment came in the wake of a June 14 Reuters investigation, which uncovered a covert Pentagon operation aimed at discrediting Chinese vaccines and other COVID-19 aid during 2020 and 2021, at the height of the pandemic. The investigation prompted the Philippine Senate Foreign Relations Committee to initiate a hearing and seek an official response from the US government.

The June 25 document reveals that Pentagon officials have since determined that their anti-vaccine campaign was "misaligned with our priorities." The document also notes that US military operatives ceased all COVID-related messaging concerning the origins of the virus and vaccines as of August 2021.

The Philippine defense and foreign affairs departments did not respond to inquiries regarding the U.S. military's admission of running a propaganda program. A spokesperson for the US State Department directed Reuters to the Defense Department for further comment. Pentagon spokesman Pete Nguyen did not confirm the specifics of the document but acknowledged that the Pentagon had distributed “social media content about the safety and efficacy of Sinovac.”

At the time, US national security officials were concerned that China was using the pandemic to secure significant geopolitical advantages and weaken US alliances by providing aid to the Philippines and other nations. The covert psychological operation, revealed by Reuters, was not confined to the Philippines. It also targeted developing countries across Central Asia, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia during 2020 and 2021, at a time when these regions were heavily dependent on China's Sinovac vaccine for their COVID-19 vaccination efforts.