Entrepreneurial friendship

Even before the Spaniards landed on our shores in 1521, the Philippines was already actively trading with its Southeast Asian neighbors, along with the Ryukyu Islands (now known as Okinawa, Japan) and, of course, China. Despite a vast body of water and relatively primitive means of seafaring, the spirit of trade – and the resulting cultural exchanges – endured.

The developments in trading and technology that emerged since has only amplified that entrepreneurial bond. This correspondence has now evolved into a key link in our country’s economic relationships in the region today, with China occupying a major place at the center of it all. What would we have been if not for entrepreneurial friendship forged way back when?

I pondered these thoughts as I was witnessing Carlos Chan, chairman of the Liwayway Corporation (known to most as Oishi), as he received the “Chinese Government Friendship Award” at a recent ceremony in China. Oishi has been a household name snack brand for decades, but many people don’t know how much the Chans and the Liwayway Corporation have been instrumental in strengthening the Philippines’ trade relations with China.

It’s not entirely surprising that the Chinese government would laud someone like Carlos because they saw in him the same entrepreneurial spirit that they have fostered for centuries. More than just having brilliant business acumen, the Chinese seem to appreciate a get-it-done attitude, coupled with a headstrong willingness to face risk. Both of which Carlos definitely has in spades.

“I am a Filipino-Chinese and was born in the Philippines. Both the Philippines – my motherland, and China – my ancestral country, hold special places in my heart,” Carlos said in his acceptance speech. “These two countries are separated by a strip of water and have a brotherly relationship that has lasted for centuries.”

When the Chinese government, under the leadership of President Xi Jinping, kick-started the Belt and Road Initiative, the Philippines was easily one of the markets that they wanted to include in this massive international network of trade. So, in 2018, when they first organized the China International Import Expo (CIIE), they looked