Manila, July 17 -- The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Friday formally protested state-run China Daily's racist depiction of Filipinos in a series of op-ed videos and editorial cartoons on the 2016 South China Sea Arbitral Award.

The protest comes as the DFA demanded that the media outlet immediately take down these materials.

Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Leo Herrera-Lim first conveyed Manila's objection to the offensive video, depicting Filipinos as monkeys, during a face-to-face meeting with Chinese Ambassador Jing Quan on July 16.

He told the envoy that such content was "inconsistent with the mutual respect expected between states and does no favors to the sound and stable management of bilateral relations."

The DFA has s...