The silent rise of Chinese soft power in PH

Not too long ago, Philippine offshore gaming operators (Pogo) did flourishing business in the Philippines. Overnight, an influx of questionable establishments catered to a select Mandarin-speaking clientele. Eyewitness accounts tell of white vans transporting foreign workers to tech zones around the metro. Complaints of unruly behavior, mainly from mainland Chinese workers suspected of links to Pogo, led to calls for their arrest and deportation, and a boycott of Chinese products.

President Marcos’ ban on Pogo operations last year quickly turned things around, with raids closing down Pogo hubs, and foreign workers arrested and deported as the sector’s link to criminal activities were exposed.

Despite such news that greatly contributed to the negative sentiment against China as a whole, it is interesting to see how mainland Chinese businesses, food, and trends have become mainstream in the Philippines. In malls, one cannot miss the stores displaying Chinese-made products with such telco brands as Oppo, Vivo, and Xiaomi. Chinese cars such as Geely, MG, Changan, and GAC Motor ply our streets. Last year, China’s best-selling car brand, BYD, even dominated the Philippines’ electric vehicle industry with a resounding 82 percent market share.

Meanwhile, Chinese influence in the food industry has resulted in the rise in popularly of restaurants serving malatang, shao kao, or Chinese BBQ, hotpot, and other Chinese and Taiwanese dishes.

On social media, Filipino netizens also noted China becoming a more popular travel destination, with Instagram posts and travel guides by Filipino influencers. “Chinatok” became a global trend on TikTok with local users cozying up to Chinese music trends such as Ryan B. and Effie’s “No Reason” often used on travel videos. The brief TikTok ban also helped boost China’s RedNote as US users moved to this app and saw a different side to China. Filipino netizens were consequently exposed to and shared the app freely.

In terms of entertainment, the arguable absence of compelling Korean dramas with the same quality and impact as “Goblin” and “Crash Landing on You” has shifted viewers’ attention elsewhere. This year, trending mainland Chinese dramas such as “Blossom” made its way to Netflix, while “The First Frost” even made it to the top 10 TV shows in the Philippines. Globally, Chinese actors are also becoming more popular, with the likes of Zhang Linghe being named as Gucci’s brand ambassador, and Wang Yibo doing the same for Loewe.

On top of that, who can forget the Labubu craze that started late last year? Chinese toy company, Pop Mart, which markets the Labubu character opened its first pop-up in SM Mall of Asia last year. The Labubu craze had A-list Filipino celebrities and influencers clamoring to get their hands on these toys.

With all these mainland Chinese businesses and pop culture influences becoming popular and mainstream in the Philippines, is it valid to say that the negative perception against China has been softened? When Filipinos hear about China and the mainland Chinese today, have the negative stories from the Pogo industry been replaced with thoughts about trending videos seen on the Chinese-owned TikTok, Filipino celebrities chasing after Labubu dolls, or aspirations for affordable Chinese car brands? Or is the illegal Pogo industry still assumed to be China-backed, and associated with China as a whole?

It’s hard to capture the current public pulse. Comments on social media are divided, with some Filipinos rejecting all products from China, while others choose to embrace the realities of a connected economy and a globalized world. Perhaps, Chinese influence in the country, in all its aspects, has not gone unnoticed. People simply choose to look elsewhere in the meantime.

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Alyssa Y. Go, 27, is a graduate of the University of the Philippines.