Our mandatory economic war against China

A survey conducted about a year ago revealed that three out of every four Filipinos consider China to be the biggest threat to our country. While that survey was conducted sometime in June 2024 yet, what would probably be the result of any other poll if our countrymen are told that only last week two China Coast Guard (CCG) vessels shadowed a Philippine civilian mission ship while on the way to Pagasa Island for a civilian mission. The location was around 54 nautical miles from El Nido, Palawan when the vessels of Communist China, CCG 3306 and CCG 21549 harassed our ship. The location is within the Philippine Exclusive Economic Zone as ruled by the Permanent International Arbitral Tribunal in 2016.

There is more. Chinese Coast Guard, also last week, used a powerful water cannon to target one of two Philippine fishing boats conducting marine research in the West Philippine Sea. The Bureau of Fisheries in Manila said that the CCG “side swiped” one of our vessels twice resulting in some damage to the latter’s port bow and smokestack and putting at risk lives of its civilian personnel onboard. That particular incident took place near one of three sandbars called Sandy Cay.

It has been repeatedly explained that the Chinese coast guards use only water cannons because using guns can be considered an act of war. Oh my goodness! Such diplomatic gobbledygook betrays the fact that China has long engaged in an undeclared war against us. When Chinese maritime assets entered the area declared by Arbitral tribunal as within the Philippines’ Exclusive Economic Zone, that was invasion. They violated our territorial sovereignty. When China seized some of our islets, occupied them and built military facilities thereon, they already committed an act of war. When a Chinese ship rammed and sank a Filipino fishing boat, and just abandoned the fishers to their own, we cannot pretend that it was accidental. No, we are not at peace with China.

What can we, civilians and ordinary citizens, do? Nothing, militarily speaking. Even if we all become fully armed warriors, we cannot anymore regain the skill and fighting wizardry of the famous Philippine Scout during World War II. Remember that Gen. Douglas MacArthur was so impressed by the resilience and strength of the Filipino soldier that he once exclaimed “Give me ten thousand Filipinos and I shall conquer the world!”

We, all citizens of the Philippines, can do our share of fighting China. It is in the area where we fire no guns neither confront the enemy soldier face to face. Malls and markets are our battle ground. Our economists have said that we are on the negative end of our trade with China. I read somewhere an economic journal that claimed that we imported $34 billion worth of Chinese goods but we only sold them something like $8 billion. Whether that report was true or fake, exaggerated or not, it can be validated by the overwhelming presence of products made in China on our store shelves. The paper said that the difference in the value of our trade deficit helped fund the Chinese misadventures into the West Philippine Sea. Differently said, we are partly subsidizing the Chinese invasion in our country.

Given that datum, our mandatory participation in the war against China is simple as it is obvious. All Filipinos must not buy all goods made in China. Let us boycott all Chinese products. Everytime we are attracted to buying anything that is produced in China, we must recall the Chinese assault on our sovereignty.