Philippine E-Journals

Commercial and Trade Relations

Discipline: History

 

Abstract:

The Philippine-Chinese commercial and trade relations have existed long before the historic times. It is believed that the earliest trade relations between the two peoples must have begun late in the 9th century and continued more or less in a more intensive manner during the later Chou Dynasty and uninterruptedly up to the coming of the Spaniards in the 16th century, when these relationships were stepped up. As already stated earlier, "the first definite mention of the Philippines in Chinese annals occurred in 977 A. D., when an Arab trader named Abu Ali is said to have brought official notice of Brunie, Sulu, Mindoro (Ma-i), and other Philippine Islands to the Chinese court. He was soon followed by another Arab merchant with the same name who carried merchandise from Ma-Yi or Mindoro to Canton in 982 A. D." From the late 9th or the early lOth century (Tang period) to the early 12th century (Sung period) "considerable quantities of Chinese pottery, jars, porcelain dishes, opaque glass beads, and other trade products have been found in Philippine archeological sites," notably in Manila, Batang.as, Rizal, and the Bikol peninsula.