Early Trade Relations of the Philippines with China

Early Trade Relations of the Philippines with China

By Apolinario Villalobos

While Spain was resolute in her desire to colonize islands with the use of the cross, China was more reclusive, as her rulers were even discouraging the voyages of their people. Nevertheless, the Chinese traders were stubborn in carrying out their occupation to the point of risking their lives in crossing oceans. According to archaeological findings, the natives of the Philippine archipelago had their first contact with the Chinese traders during the Tang Dynasty (A.D. 618-907), based on the discovered pot shards which are now at the National Museum.

The hectic trading activity was recorded during the 13^th century. Chinese traders coveted the Filipino products such as, corals, gold, cotton, hard wood, edible nuts, gums, resins, rattan, pearls, and many others. In the course of their trading, the Chinese traders intermarried with native women, while establishing commercial centers, a wise move which checked the entry of other trading nationalities. The first mention of the trading activity in the Philippines by the Chinese was in 982, when merchandise from Ma-I (Mindoro), where brought to Canton.

A clear account of how the trading was conducted was mentioned by Chao-Ju-Kua in 1225, in which he said that as soon as the ships of the Chinese traders dropped anchor where the local official was located, they were boarded for checking, after which the natives were already free to ply their trade with the foreign merchants. A converging place was assigned for this commercial activity.

Trading Chinese vessels were also said to have sailed to “Sanhsi” (three islands), which could have been the reference for central Visayas,  also to “Pu-li-lu” (Polilio), and “Tung-Liu-sin” which could be eastern Luzon.

According to the Ming Annals, embassies from Luzon visited China in 1372 and 1408, and brought with them gifts for the emperor, such as small but strong horses. In return, the emperor gave them silk, copper, cash and other valuable things. There is also an account about Chinese traders bringing gifts to the “King of Luzon”.

Natives of Pangasinan had their share of trading with the Chinese as early as 1406 during the Ming Dynasty. Pangasinan was mentioned in the book of Kiyoshi, published by Toyo Gakubo, where it was referred to by the Chinese traders as “Ping-chia-shih-lan”.

When the Spaniards arrived, they found a Chinese settlement of traders along the Pasig River. This settlement was known then, as “Parian”, and later evolved into what is now known as the Manila Chinatown, the oldest in the world. Among the locals, though, it is more popularly called “Ongpin”.

China and the World

China and the World

By Apolinario Villalobos

While China has tricked the US in the latter’s ploys in Asia, it has gone way ahead of Russia in territorial expansion. While the US uses its “big brother” approach, China uses cheap labor as the main factor in becoming an economic giant which made practically the whole world dependent on its cheap and fake products. No wonder why no country, even the United Nations, ever made an attempt to slap China with some kind of an embargo or boycott, which has been the practice to punish other countries, despite its unbecoming actions, particularly,  its reclamations at the West Philippine Sea.

While the US has not done anything yet, as regards territorial expansion, Russia uses force and has been successful in the Ukraine region, and China on the other hand, uses its “resourcefulness” by building fake islands to legally extend its territories, as well as, money to win the confidence of economically-ailing nations.

The ASEAN is obviously helpless in counteracting the moves of China, with most members even blatantly showing their once covert image as allies. There is no hope for the Philippines on the other hand as regards the West Philippine Sea, as even if the United Nations shall decide on its favor, there is a question on how the decision shall be implemented. China is a member of the Security Council of the UN, together with the USA, France and Russia. While the US is obviously helpless even in checking the ongoing reclamations in the West Philippine Sea, France is helplessly silent on the woeful issues that are now befalling third-world member countries, and Russia is clearly on China’s side because it is also doing what the latter is doing, aside from their obvious close relationship to date due to their common objectives. That is the sad picture of the United Nations which China could have perceived a few years after the WWII!

China has already made its presence in the African continent strongly felt with its various investments disguised as “aids”. The nearby Mediterranean could be the next target, thanks to the economic downfall of Greece which China could be regarding as a timely opportunity for their entry into the Mediterranean region. If Greece will eventually get out of the European Union, it will be on its own, but how can it be possible without help from outside, unless drastic moves by the government shall be made such as declaring a Martial Law to enforce stringent measures on spending? The issue on Greece is money. If the Greeks would like to recover from their misfortune, there are so many things that they should sacrifice, so that they will be left with a difficult choice – give up luxurious life under a Martial Law? Or, still enjoy the same life under a “caretaker country” such as China through its “aids”. There is no way for the US to get into the picture because it is also indebted to China.

China could have foreseen the problem of the world which is centered on money that is why it has initiated the organization of AIIB which gained many members in so short a time after the launching. If the image of the United Nations as a reliable organization of nations continues to slide, the World Bank would definitely follow suit. There is no problem with the UN as it has been seen as a helpless organization anyway, so it can just melt away. Besides, the world is seemingly being apportioned today, either three-way or two- way: three-way among the USA, China and Russia, or just two-way between Russia and China. It will be a goodbye to the “manifest destiny” of America as fighter for democracy…and a welcome to the “economic destiny” of China!

Is the world nearing the epoch of “world confederacy”?… in which all nations shall be federated under a permanent leader while left as they are with their own cultural identity?…in which only one monetary token shall be used?…in which two or three universal languages shall be used?…in which the ideology shall be the “hybrid communism”?

Ang Mga Ninuno ng mga Tsino ay Mangangalakal, hindi Mananakop…kaya hindi sila dapat idahilan sa issue ng West Philippine Sea

Ang mga Ninuno ng mga Tsino ay Mangangalakal
Hindi Mananakop…kaya hindi sila dapat idahilan
sa issue ng West Philippine Sea
Ni Apolinario Villalobos

Unang-una, hindi dahil ang West Philippines na tinatawag ding “South China Sea” ay may “China”, ay nangangahulugang pagmamay-ari na ito ng mga Tsino. Ang pangalang “South China Sea” ay ginamit bilang reference o batayan ng direksyon ng mga manlalayag noong unang panahon. Wala ni isa mang pahina ng history books ang nagsasabi na sinakop ng Tsina ang karagatang ito. Mangangalakal ang mga Tsino noon kaya kung saan-saan sila nakakarating at ginawang animo ay “highway” ang pinagtatalunang karagatan. Nadatnan ng mga Kastila ang mga Tsino noon bilang tahimik na mga negosyante, subalit may pagkatuso nga lang. Sinona o pinatira sila sa iisang lugar sa kabila ng Pasig at tinawag itong “Parian”. Tinawag din silang “Sangley”, na ang ibig sabihin ay “trader”. Ang Parian ay ang maunlad na ngayong Manila Chinatown, ang kauna-unahang Chinatown sa buong mundo.

Patunay sa kawalan nila ng intensyong manakop ang hindi pagtulong ng emperor ng Tsina noon sa mga Tsino sa Manila, nang mag-aklas ang mga ito laban sa pagmamalabis ng mga Kastila na umabot sa madugong labanan. Ayaw kasi ng emperor nila noon na umalis sila ng Tsina at tumira sa ibang lugar, kaya lumalabas na para silang itinakwil. Nagkaroon pa nga ng tinatatawag na “Bamboo Curtain” noon dahil sa inasal ng Tsina na hindi pakikipagrelasyon ng lubusan sa ibang bansa.

Kaya ang sinasabi ng mga lider ng Tsina ngayon na “nakakahiya” sa kanilang ninuno kung hindi nila ipaglalaban ang “karapatan” nila sa West Philippine Sea ay malabo. Ideya na lang yan ng mga pinuno ng Tsina ngayon dahil nangangailangan sila ng mapaglalagyan ng iba pa nilang mamamayan na umaapaw na sa mainland China, at nangangalap din sila ng pagmumulan ng langis na sinasabing matatagpuan sa West Philippine Sea. Bumabagsak na kasi ang Tsina at nadagdagan pa ng problema nila sa Hongkong dahil gustong kumalas mula sa mainland ang mga Honkongites.

Noong panahon ni Gloria Arroyo, nagkaroon ng joint exploration sa West Philippine Sea ang Tsina at Pilipinas, para sana sa joint exploitation ng matatagpuang langis. Subalit nang makumpirma na mayaman nga sa langis ang ilalim ng karagatan, biglang kumalas ang Tsina sa magandang pakikipagtulungan. Tumahimik sila, at nang bumuwelta ay umiba na ang tono ng kanilang sinasabi, at inungkat pa ang “nine dash” na kaek-ekan nila. Dahil sa “nine dash” na yan, pinalabas nilang “sakop” daw nila ang malaking bahagi ng West Philippine Sea, kaya nag-double time sila sa pag-reclaim ng mga bahura upang maging artificial islands ang mga ito. At, dahil pa rin diyan ay nagkaroon na ng “extension” ang kanilang nasasakop na teritoryo. Ngayon, lumalabas tuloy na talagang legal ang pangangamkam nila! Mga tuso nga…hindi na nagbago!

Mula noong naging aktibo ang Tsina sa pag-reclaim ng mga bahura sa West Philippine Sea, nasira rin ang maganda sanang samahan ng mga Pilipinong mangingisda sa mga kapwa nila mangingisdang Tsino, pati na sa mga nagpapatrulyang Chinese Navy. Nagpapalitan pa sila noon ng pagkain. Ang alam kasi ng lahat noon ay “neutral” ang nasabing karagatan dahil may iba pang mga bansang umaako sa mga bahagi nito, tulad ng Brunei, Malaysia at Vietnam, at wala pang maayos na napapagkasunduan hanggang ngayon.

Ayaw ng Tsina na mamagitan ang United Nations dahil alam nitong kung makialam ang ibang bansa, lalo na ang malalaki, ay matatalo sila. Ang gusto ng Tsina ay bilateral talk lamang sa pagitan nito at ng Pilipinas. Kung mangyayari ito, Pilipinas naman ang matatalo dahil siguradong dodominahen ng makapangyarihang Tsina ang usapan.

Ngayon, ang mayabang na Amerika ay walang magawa kundi mamangha at magbanta. Ang mga bansa namang nakiki-angkin din ng bahagi sa nasabing karagatan ay tahimik lamang dahil walang magawa. Ang isang maliit na hakbang kasi na gagawin ng maliliit na bansang nakiki-angkin ay maaaring gawing dahilan ng Tsina upang lumusob sa kanila. Sa katusuhan ng Tsina, maaari nilang sabihin na ito ay “act of aggression” o di kaya ay “trespassing”, at ang matindi ay baka sabihin nilang nilulusob sila! Hindi malayong mangyari ito, dahil sa kasisinungaling nila, pinapalabas pa nga nila na sila ang inaapi ng Pilipinas dahil nagsampa ito ng reklamo sa United Nations!

Kung sakaling magkaroon ng labanan sa karagatang ito, ang kawawa ay mga bansa ng Timog –kanlurang Asya na ilang daang milya lang ang layo sa mga bahura, kung saan ay mayroon nang base-militar ang Tsina. Malabong asahan ang Amerika na wala naman talagang naitulong sa Pilipinas mula pa noong pinalitan nila ang mga Kastila bilang mananakop. Nagtayo nga sila ng mga eskwelahan, mga tulay at kung anu-ano pa, pero ang kapalit naman ay ang walang pakundangang pakialam sa pamamalakad ng ating gobyerno at pangangahas (exploitation) sa ating likas-yaman (natural resources).

Ang malinaw ngayon, naisahan ng mga Tsino ang wise na mga Amerikano. Ang dahilan kung bakit nagkaroon ng base- militar sa Pilipinas noon ang mga Amerikano ay upang mapangalagaan nila ang kanilang mga interes sa rehiyong ito ng Asya, kaya nga hanggang ngayon ay may base-militar pa rin sila sa Okinawa, Japan. Malas lang nila dahil napatalsik sila noong panahon ni Erap Estrada. Ang ginawang paraan na lang upang maparamdam ang kanilang presensiya sa rehiyon ay ang pagkaroon ng taunang joint military exercises na nakapaloob sa isang tratado na kinukuwestiyon naman ng mga makabayang sector. Ngayon, ang pinakamasakit na black-eye nila ay ang kabiguang maunahan ang mga Tsino sa West Philippine Sea. Akala nila kasi ay hanggang pagnenegosyo at pamemeke lang ang alam ng mga Tsino. Dahil sa mga pangyayari, napatunayang hindi pala ganoon kagaling ang Amerika, na nagbigay ng kahulugan sa kasabihang, “matalino man daw ang matsing ay napaglalangan din!”