Chinese chargé d’affaires makes the difference

BETWEEN last Thursday’s edition of the traditional Christmas party thrown by the Chinese Embassy for the Philippine media and the event the year before, nothing much seemed to be different. At the event held at the Shangri-La Hotel, the food, according to one with a palate for exquisite cuisine, was better this year, but the entertainment for

was practically the same as the one presented last year. None

extremely discriminating taste of media people who needed to be endlessly prompted to applaud with each expected highlight in the act that didn’t deliver.

But to me particularly, this year’s affair upped the previous one for this one single element: the remarks of Chinese Chargé d’Affaires ad interim Tan Qingsheng, who in one high point of his speech said: “This year marks a great milestone of China-Philippines relations. The Chinese President Xi Jinping made a successful state visit to your great

kind in 13 years. President Xi and President Duterte reached important consensus to press ahead with our blooming bilateral relations And our two leaders witnessed the exchange of 29 signed documents covering our functional coopera-

“Proceeding from the spirit of mutual respect, sincerity, equal-

cooperation, our two leaders decided to upgrade our bilateral ties to a relationship of comprehensive strategic cooperation, charting a course for this great partnership. China reaffirmed its commitment to support President Duterte’s endeavor in nation building and improving the people’s well- being. President Xi underlined that we Chinese will do all what we can to add strength to future development of the Philippines.”

And Mr. Tan cited that China now stands out as the Philippines’ top trading partner with bilateral trade having already topped $50 billion in 2017 and reached almost $47 billion till October this year, representing, he said, “a year-onyear increase of 11 percent.”

Looking youngish and not displaying the mien whatsoever of a veteran diplomat, the deputy chief of the Chinese foreign mission in the Philippines reminded me of information conveyed to me during my visit to Shanghai two years ago. According to the informant, nobody works in the Chinese government unless he is a member of the Communist Party of China. Mr. Tan’s remarks at the party made me feel I was listening to someone who should be placed high in the hierarchy of the CPC.

Now if he is such, then he must be somebody speaking of

Communist Party toward the Filipino people. This must account for some serious concern for me.

he was treating the Filipinos as one whole nation, one that ben-

it loans, business investments, grants, or employment opportunity redound to the entirety of the Filipino people.

Bear in mind that Mr. Tan made the recent visit to the Philippines by Chinese President Xi as the entry point in his remarks. The 29 documents signed on the occasion covers, he said, “our functional relationship in vari- have all been treated in this space much earlier and need no further elaboration. What concerns this column presently is that in alluding to the Filipino nation as one single, whole and indivisible entity, must not Mr. Tan be expressing a communist view? And if so, does he mean that the Filipino people are in that same level of near-classlessness which characterizes the Chinese nation?

In a strictly Marxist reckoning, as social classes, Filipinos are deeply divided: oppressors and oppressed, exploiters and exploited. On the one hand, the oligarchs, 1 percent of the population owning 99 percent of the wealth of the land; on the other hand, the masses ( in President Xi’s speech before the 13th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, these are called “productive forces”), 99 percent of the population owning 1 percent of the nation’s wealth. With such a social setup continuing to obtain in the Philippines, is it correct for any Chinese communist, let alone a high-ranking one, to say Chinese aid to the Filipino nation is aid to the entirety of the Filipinos?

For some time now, I have been wondering if China can really be serving the Filipino working masses (the workers, peasants and middle-class “productive forces”) genuinely by dealing with the Philippine government alone? Can the Belt and Road Initiative really serve its objective of comprehensive strategic cooperation with the

about the near-dissolution of Philippine social classes as China has done to its people?

Nothing in this idea means to take anything away from the sincerity of the intentions of China toward the world. Indeed, Charge d’Affairs ad interim Tan Qingsheng expressed it quite accurately.

He said: “While developing itself, China won’t stay shut behind a closed door, rather always standing ready to share with other countries, the Philippines included. China and the Philippines have a history of friendly exchanges for more than a thousand years. We have every reason to be good neighbors and friends. Let me say it again, China has no hidden geopolitical agenda in the Philippines, and we will never set up any trap whatsoever for the Philippines.” Well taken, I would say. And I’d be extremely delighted if I were among those he alluded to when he said: “Diplomats and journalists do share some commonalities. We are all observers of and participants to current affairs and international events. And we should be all dedicated and responsible in our undertakings. I welcome all of you to visit China and get to know more about China. The Embassy will continue to work with our media friends to present to the Philippine people a true and complete picture of China, so as to enable the Philippine people to better understand China, promote trust and amity between our two countries, and nurture a favorable atmosphere for the China-Philippines relationship to grow from strength to strength, and last from generation to generation.”

In fact, I say Filipinos’ better understanding of China is key toward frustrating the United States’ intention of — for advancing its geopolitical agenda in Asia

embroiled in a war with China over the South China Sea. And I know that kind of Filipino understanding of China will not come about if the Filipino “productive forces” — particularly the workers and peasants – are not themselves

exploitation as their counterparts in China had been long ago.