The Chinese in our hearts

In case you’re not aware, all those fireworks, lion / dragon dances and feasting in our country for the Lunar New Year are in celebration of an Intangible Cultural Heritage as declared by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

Specifically, the “social practices of Chinese people celebrating the traditional New Year – Spring Festival” was inscribed by UNESCO in its Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage on Dec. 4 last year.

I learned about the latest inclusion of a Chinese element in the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list (bringing the total to 44 for China, the most in the world) when I attended the Lunar New Year celebration at the Shangri-La The Fort in Taguig last Jan. 19 co-hosted by the Chinese embassy together with the top Filipino-Chinese business federations.

Each guest was welcomed with warmth, literally, through a red woolen shawl given away as gift.

Chinese Ambassador Huang Xilian reminded guests that 2025 marks 50 years of diplomatic ties between the Philippines and the People’s Republic of China. The ambassador, who lacks the personal warmth of some of his predecessors, nevertheless highlighted the traditional friendship and cultural ties and hoped for mutual prosperity for the 1.5 billion combined populations of the two countries.

The Filipino-Chinese business federations also presented videos showing cooperation with China in poverty alleviation and in projects such as the construction of classrooms and school buildings.

Tsinoy singer-songwriter (and sugar baron) Jose Mari Chan of “Christmas In Our Hearts” renown said in a video message: “Kami din ay Pinoy sa puso at gawa.”

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For all the goodwill, let’s face it, these days it takes some effort to dwell on the positive aspects of Philippine ties with China.

Filipino-Chinese businessmen, many of whom are doing business with Chinese companies and source materials from the mainland, are naturally among the most concerned about the escalating tension in the West Philippine Sea.

The entry (widely suspected to be hostile) of President Marcos’ pet vanity project, the Maharlika Investment Fund, into the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines is seen as the first step in kicking out the Chinese shareholders from the NGCP.

Maharlika Investment Corp. CEO Rafael Consing Jr. has indicated as much, expressing openness to buy out the State Grid Corp. of China.

In light of Beijing’s disregard for the Philippines’ maritime economic entitlements that are based on international rules, its gray zone attacks on Philippine vessels within our exclusive economic zone and its greedy claim over nearly the entire South China Sea, there’s some basis to be worried about a Chinese state-run firm being involved in the operator of the country’s electricity grid.

Still, NGCP is a private company, which took in the State Grid Corp. as a partner at a time when the Philippine government itself was inviting Chinese investors to the country and working to increase bilateral trade. There has been no prohibition against Philippine private companies, including those engaged in public utilities and other critical industries, against partnering with Chinese companies whether state-run or private, although Chinese laws effectively give Beijing a degree of control over all Chinese enterprises (yes, including TikTok owner ByteDance).

Nevertheless, Maharlika’s manner of entering the NGCP is spooking the business community in general.

There are many other Filipino-run private companies with Chinese companies as partners in part or all of their operations. Will they have to kick out these partners, or wait for a hostile takeover by the government?

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At the Shangri-La event, the Grand Ballroom was full, but considering who were the hosts, the guests could have included more big guns in both government and the private sector.

There was a representative from the Department of Foreign Affairs, and the emcee announced the presence of the chiefs of the Bureau of Immigration and the National Bureau of Investigation. There were videotaped greetings from Vice President Sara Duterte (“Let us look ahead to future cooperation,” she said) and from First Lady Liza Marcos.

I spotted Senate Minority Leader Koko Pimentel, Makati Mayor Abby Binay and business tycoon Hans Sy. Among the diplomatic corps, the dean was present, Papal Nuncio Charles Brown, along with the ambassadors of Japan, the United Kingdom, the European Union, France and several other individual member states of the EU.

Maybe other guests arrived after I had left the gathering without partaking of the food.

At least there’s one thing Filipinos aren’t disputing with the Chinese: they have terrific cuisine.

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As I write this, the pata tim is being tenderized at my home, and the ingredients for my XO long life noodles (made of 100 percent sweet potato flour, so it’s OK even for the diabetics and gout sufferers in the household) with braised pork leg have been laid out.

In a nod to Pinoy culture, I’m substituting giant bangus inihaw for the Chinese-style steamed whole fish that I usually serve for the Lunar New Year celebration.

By our elders’ accounts, my maternal Chinese grandmother was an accomplished cook, but unfortunately found her children too rowdy and shooed them away from her kitchen. So my mother and I had to improvise in our Chinese cooking. Plus I took lessons from my favorite teacher, Sylvia Reynoso Gala, and a Chinese guy in Manila who couldn’t speak Filipino and blew air under the skin of the Peking duck with his mouth.

As I welcome the Year of the Wood Snake, I dwell on my Chinese heritage and stuff my face with tikoy and other delectable Chinese food. Like many Filipinos, I may dislike the Chinese government led by Xi Jinping, but not the people and the culture.

Kung hei fat choi, everyone!