MARITIME tensions in the South China Sea often dominate headlines, painting the Philippines-China relationship as one of perpetual confrontation. Patrols, collisions and diplomatic protests reinforce this narrative of hostility.
Yet the book Made It in China, released in June, reminds us that bilateral ties are not defined solely by contested waters. Featuring inspiring stories of Filipinos who have built lives and careers in China, the book underscores the human dimension of our relationship rooted in resilience, cultural exchange, and everyday cooperation.
By highlighting these narratives, Made It in China offers a counterbalance to mistrust. It suggests that people-to-people connections can stabilize relations and even reset the tone of engagement.
The Philippine Embassy in Beijing, together with the consulates general in Chongqing, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Macau, Shanghai and Xiamen, collaborated to identify exemplary Filipinos featured in the book. This institutional effort signals recognition that migration stories are not peripheral but central to how we understand our ties with China.
The publication is an ingenious act of cultural diplomacy. It shows that Filipinos abroad are not just workers but ambassadors of innovation, resilience and perseverance.
For decades, the Philippine diaspora has been narrated through numbers: Millions of overseas Filipino workers in the Middle East, North America and Europe. China, by contrast, barely registers in official labor data. Yet thousands of Filipinos live and work there today. Teachers, service workers, entrepreneurs and artists are quietly shaping China’s social fabric. Their contributions, often invisible in policy debates, are brought to light in Made It in China.
Migration is not only about remittances. It is also about survival, adaptation, triumph and cultural exchange. Filipino educators in Chinese schools are not just teaching English; they are introducing Philippine warmth and creativity to young Chinese minds. Domestic helpers and hospitality staff sustain households and businesses while navigating strict labor regulations. Entrepreneurs and artists enrich China’s cultural landscape with Filipino ingenuity. These are not marginal roles. They are bridges of understanding and strong embodiments of people-to-people diplomacy.
What makes Made It in China significant is its insistence on the human dimension of migration. Statistics cannot capture the loneliness of separation, the anxiety of visa renewals, or the joy of building communities abroad. Nor do they reflect the quiet victories of Filipinos who establish businesses, lead cultural initiatives, or raise families in China. Filipino associations in Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou provide solidarity and cultural continuity, yet their contributions rarely enter the bilateral conversation. This omission is a policy blind spot.
Philippine foreign policy toward China is often dominated by geopolitics: maritime disputes, trade imbalances, and strategic competition. These are legitimate concerns. But they obscure the everyday realities of Filipinos in China, whose presence complicates the simplistic narrative of China as merely a threat.
Stories of Filipinos in China remind us that bilateral ties go beyond state-to-state negotiations. They also involve human connections. Recognizing these communities could strengthen cultural diplomacy, soften political and security tensions, and expand the toolkit of engagement beyond military and economic instruments.
Integrating the narratives of Filipinos who have built lives in China into our foreign policy discourse would achieve three important things. First, it would acknowledge Filipino autonomy. Migrants are not passive victims of circumstance; they are active participants in shaping bilateral ties. Second, it would expand diplomatic tools. Cultural and labor diplomacy can complement political, security and economic strategies, offering a more holistic approach. Third, it would challenge stereotypes. By telling success stories of Filipinos in China, we can overcome anti-China narratives that reduce our relationship to confrontation and hostility.
Ultimately, Made It in China is more than a book. It is a call to broaden our imagination of the Philippines-China relationship. It reminds us that beyond contested waters and trade deficits, there are Filipinos who, against odds, have made lives in China. These are stories that statistics will never tell, but which history must remember.
By listening to these voices, the Philippines can advance a foreign policy that is not only political and economic but also humane — firmly grounded in the lived realities of Filipinos striving to make it on foreign shores.
Rommel C. Banlaoi, PhD, is director of the Philippines-China Studies Center at Diliman College and president of the Philippine Society for International Security Studies. He also served as president of the Philippine Association for Chinese Studies.