As Chinese ships fired water cannons at Philippine vessels in the South China Sea in November 2021, Beijing¡¯s then-ambassador to Manila asked Filipinos on Facebook to share their favorite things about China.

Among the hundreds of gushing responses were three from a young man named ¡°Vince Dimaano.¡±

His comments ¡ª like many responding to the Chinese Embassy¡¯s posts ¡ª weren¡¯t genuine. They came from fake accounts paid for by the diplomatic mission, according to internal documents from a Manila-based marketing agency.