As we have finally overcome the scars of the COVID-19 virus that took away millions of lives, global politics has hit a different parameter with its pity game of name blame. The common belief calls for Wuhan, China, every time the name pops up, however, a recent investigation by Reuters found imprints of American propaganda with the help of social media platforms.

The investigative study by Reuters, published on June 14, highlighted one of the worst-hit countries, the Philippines. The U.S. military secretly launched a campaign, a clandestine operation, to counter China’s growing influence in the Philippines during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This clandestine operation, not previously reported, aimed to create doubts about the safety and efficacy of Chinese-provided vaccines and aid, according to a Reuters investigation.

The military used fake internet accounts posing as Filipinos to spread anti-vaccine messages. These social media posts criticized the quality of Chinese face masks, test kits, and the Sinovac vaccine, which was the first to become available in the Philippines. Reuters identified at least 300 accounts on X, formerly Twitter, promoting the hashtag #Chinaangvirus, which means “China is the virus” in Tagalog.

One tweet from July 2020 read, “COVID came from China and the VACCINE also came from China, don’t trust China!” next to a photo of a syringe beside a Chinese flag. Another post claimed, “From China – PPE, Face Mask, Vaccine: FAKE. But the Coronavirus is real.” After Reuters alerted X about these accounts, the company removed them, identifying them as part of a coordinated bot campaign.

The U.S. military’s anti-vax campaign began in spring 2020 and expanded beyond Southeast Asia before ending in mid-2021. The Pentagon tailored its propaganda to local audiences across Central Asia and the Middle East, spreading fear of China’s vaccines among Muslims by amplifying concerns that the vaccines could be forbidden under Islamic law due to containing pork gelatin.

This campaign, initiated under President Donald Trump and continued into Joe Biden’s presidency, was terminated after social media executives warned the new administration. The Biden White House banned the anti-vax effort in spring 2021, prompting a Pentagon internal review.

Academic research shows that skepticism towards one vaccine can lead to doubts about other vaccines, as seen in Pakistan with the CIA’s fake hepatitis vaccination program, which harmed polio vaccination efforts. Former U.S. National Intelligence Council chairman Greg Treverton criticized the Pentagon’s actions, stating they “cross a line” and should have focused on maximizing vaccination efforts.

(With Reuters inputs)