Beijing, China - China hit back hard after an investigation revealed the Pentagon had engaged in an anti-vax campaign in order to counter Beijing's influence in South East Asia and the Middle East.

The Chinese foreign ministry responded to a Reuters investigation that found evidence of the Pentagon running an anti-vax disinformation campaign to sabotage the use of Chinese-made jabs in the Philippines and elsewhere.

Spokesperson Lin Jian on Monday told reporters that Beijing had "noted the report" and "firmly oppose" what it reveals about US behavior during the pandemic.

"Facts have shown time and again that the US has persistently manipulated social media to spread disinformation, poison public opinion and vilify other countries’ image," Jian said in response to a question from China Review News.

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"When the US wants to contain and suppress a country, it chooses to ignore the facts and truth, and launches smears and vilification through 'coordination.'"

The Chinese-made Sinovac jab was the first vaccine to become widely available to the Philippines, as global countries scrambled to grab supplies. US efforts to undermine the rollout reportedly occurred under both the Trump and Biden administrations, across 2020 and 2021.

One US military officer told Reuters: "We didn't do a good job sharing vaccines with partners. So what was left was to throw shade on China's."

These comments were directly referenced in Lin Jian's statement: "Such practices by no means show the US' 'power' and only reveal its obsession with supremacy and hypocrisy," he said.

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"The international community needs to be clear-eyed about this."

"A big country should behave in a manner befitting its status. We hope that the US will right its mindset, shoulder its due responsibilities as a major country and stop propagating disinformation against other countries."