Manila, March 3 -- The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Monday dismissed as "propaganda" Chinese social media reports claiming that Palawan province was once part of China.

"It's very well known that they really come out with a lot of propaganda materials," AFP spokesperson Col. Francel Margareth Padilla said in an interview with ANC.

Posts emerged on Chinese social media platforms claiming that Palawan was Zheng He island, named after a Chinese explorer.

Although the platforms are not official government channels, social media in China is controlled and closely monitored.

Palawan lies outside the so-called nine-dash line that China used on its maps to claim a vast, resource-rich area in the West Philippine Sea.

The Philippin...