by Paul Joshua Nones

When Filipinos hear about China today, the conversation often turns to disputes, rising competition, or questions of influence, but they represent only a fragment of the story. To focus on them alone is to miss a deeper truth: the Philippines and China share a friendship that stretches back a thousand years, long before colonial maps and modern nation-states drew lines across seas.

Archaeological evidence reveals how deep these ties run. Song dynasty porcelain has been unearthed in Laguna, Cebu, and Mindoro, dating as far back as the 10th century. Ming dynasty records describe Luzon and Visayas as active trading partners. Chinese traders brought silk, ceramics, and metal tools, while Filipinos offered gold, beeswax, and forest products. These were not fleeting exchanges. They were repeated journeys, woven into the rhythms of daily life. Crucially, they were built on mutual benefit rather than conquest.

Over time, Chinese settlers became part of the Filipino family. Migrants from Fujian and Guangdong married locals, raised children, and built communities that were neither fully Chinese nor purely indigenous but uniquely Filipino. This legacy is still visible in our surnames. Dizon derives from “Di Sun,” Tuazon from “Chua Sun,” and countless others include the Hispanized surnames of Lacson, Monzon, Mapua, Quiambao, Samson, Sison, among many more. Common names like Co, Tan, Lim, and Ong also trace their roots to Chinese ancestry. Even political dynasties like the Cojuangcos share this heritage.

What many Filipinos do not realize is how embedded this legacy is in daily life. The word “suki,” for instance, comes from Hokkien. Food staples like pancit, lumpia, and tikoy came from Chinese kitchens, adapted and embraced as Filipino. Binondo, established in 1594, stands as the oldest Chinatown in the world, a testament to centuries of coexistence.

This long history of connection provides a valuable lens for reflecting on the 76th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. On October 1, 1949, Mao Zedong declared the birth of a new China, rising from civil war and foreign occupation. At the time, China was among the poorest nations on earth. Few would have predicted its remarkable transformation into today’s global economic powerhouse.

In seven decades, China has lifted more than 800 million people out of poverty, according to the World Bank—an achievement without precedent in human history. Today, it contributes nearly one-fifth of global GDP. It is the world’s largest trading nation, accounting for around 15 percent of global exports. China now leads in renewable energy, producing more solar panels than the rest of the world combined. It is the largest manufacturer of electric vehicles, and in technology, it files more patents annually than any other country. These facts are not abstract statistics. They underscore how central China has become to global progress in energy, technology, and trade.

For the Philippines, this reality is deeply relevant. China has been our largest trading partner for years, with bilateral trade exceeding 35 billion US dollars in 2023. Philippine bananas, pineapples, and nickel find their way to Chinese markets, while Chinese machinery, steel, and consumer goods fuel our industries and small enterprises. Infrastructure projects—bridges in Manila, railways in Luzon, irrigation systems in the provinces—are supported by Chinese financing and expertise. Before the pandemic, Chinese tourists were the second-largest group visiting the Philippines, sustaining countless jobs in hospitality. The opportunities are not one-sided. With China’s middle class numbering over 400 million, demand for agricultural products, creative industries, and services offers Philippine businesses a vast and expanding market.

Skeptics often raise concerns about overreliance on China. Yet the numbers tell a different story. Philippine loans from China remain a very small fraction of our overall external debt, dwarfed by what we owe to multilateral institutions and Western creditors. More importantly, Chinese-backed projects are tangible: bridges that shorten travel time in Metro Manila, flood-control systems that protect lives, and transport links that promise to ease decades of congestion. Dependency is not the inevitable result of partnership. It is a matter of how we negotiate and manage opportunities.

The same applies to the South China Sea. Too often, these tensions are magnified by external powers whose interests lie in keeping Asia divided. Conflict is not inevitable. History shows that cooperation, even amid differences, has always been the path to prosperity.

Nowhere is this better embodied than in the Chinese-Filipino community. Henry Sy, who built the nation’s largest retail empire, and John Gokongwei, who created industries that touch every Filipino household, are among the most visible examples. Yet beyond these names are countless small Chinese-Filipino entrepreneurs who run neighborhood groceries, schools, and civic organizations. Their stories remind us that Chinese heritage is not foreign to the Philippines. It is woven into the fabric of our nation.

As we commemorate the 76th anniversary of the People’s Republic of China, remembering this thousand-year friendship is not just nostalgia but a way to see our present with perspective and our future with clarity.

The Philippines and China are bound not only by geography but by history and shared destiny. Our prosperity will not come from fear or division but from dialogue, mutual respect, and cooperation.

The seas that now symbolize dispute once carried ships filled with trust, family, and trade. They can do so again. Peace is not naïve, it is the only rational path forward. If we are wise, the friendship that has lasted a thousand years can be the foundation of a thousand more.

   

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