By MARIO ALVARO LIMOS   |   Jul 10, 2019 / by Esquire

In 1762, the British invaded Manila. They had help from a traditional enemy: the Chinese.

Relations between Spaniards and the Chinese had been fraught for centuries, and a British invasion of Manila was the perfect excuse for the Chinese to help erode Spain’s control of the Philippines. But the more important question is, why did they do it?

According to Abinales and Amoroso (2005), tense relations between the Spaniards and the Chinese began in 1574, when notorious Chinese pirate Limahong attacked Manila. Instead of escaping, the Chinese residents of Manila helped Limahong by attacking friars, burning churches, and ransacking Spanish residences.

Because of that incident, Abinales and Amoroso said the Spaniards and Indios despised the Chinese and viewed the Chinese in Manila as a cultural minority. Afterward, other events encouraged the Chinese to aid the British in conquering Manila.

1593: Chinese Oarsmen Kill the Spanish Governor-General

Long before the events of 1762, the Spaniards had long been suspicious of the Chinese. In 1593, Governor-General Gomez Perez Dasmariñas prepared four ships to sail for the Moluccas on a conquest mission. According to historian José Eugenio Borao of the National Taiwan University, the governor-general filled three ships with crew members, and when the flagship was the only remaining ship that needed more hands on deck, the Spaniards recruited 250 Manila Chinese as oarsmen, who were to be paid two pesos a month. Part of the arrangement made was that the Chinese would only row if the weather permitted it. Read more…