Philippines and Brunei shift away from China

Anopportune time for India to further strengthen ties with both ASEAN nations.

- AJAY DUA

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

The Filipinos, living over 7,000 islands, continue to be loyal to their immediate communities and still identify themselves by the particular barangay(boatload) that brought their ancestors from the Indonesian islands in the early centuries of the Christian era. Without a strong historical tradition, a common language, or a national consciousness, and due to being constantly told by the foreign clergy and friars that they were intellectually inferior, allowed the Spaniards to rule with comparative ease for over 300 years. In 1899, the United States of America, the "new imperialist" with a sizeable navy, took over the Philippine Islands from the Spaniards, who had surrendered Manila, the capital city, in a behind-the-scenes transaction without scoring a military victory.

The years of relative noninvolvement in Filipino affairs by US in late 1930s had made the Japanese interested in its lumber, hemp, and copra. They gained significant control over the iron, manganese, and copper mines. Soon after bombing Pearl Harbor in December 1941, the Japanese attacked Philippines. Though the US forces and Filipino guerrillas prevented a complete Japanese takeover, the Japanese left behind a mark on the natives with their industriousness and technology. This ultimately proved to be a blessing in the long run for the predominantly agrarian nation.

Modern Indian relations with Philippines date back to the Anglo-Spaniard War of 1860s when the British colonisers had dispatched 800 Indian soldiers to fight on their behalf. Trade contacts, however, date back several centuries.

Several Sanskrit words in the Filipino language bear evidence of the old cultural exchanges. About 120,000 Indian-origin persons live there as citizens.

ECONOMIC & SOCIAL EVOLUTION