NEW YORK CITY—Dozens of Filipinos and Vietnamese Americans joined
forces as they called for a boycott of Chinese products and urged
Beijing to stop its creeping aggression toward countries around the West
Philippine Sea (South China Sea).
“Boycott Made-in-China,” said Eric Lachica of the U.S. Pinoys for
Good Governance, which organized the rally held June 22 in front of the
United Nations headquarters.
China’s claims over the West Philippines’ Sea in the Panatag Shoal
(or Scarborough) and over Vietnam’s Sea are a recurring dispute. Both
countries maintain China has been violating international laws of the
sea.
Dr. Hoi Van Do, president of the Vietnamese community in Florida said
his country and the Philippines are on the same side of the issue.
“Communist China dominates and takes over our islands and Scarborough
Shoal of the Philippines,” he told The FilAm. “We are against them and
we support you against them.”
Filipinos and Vietnamese leaders are slated to meet with the CEOs of
major retailers like Wal-Mart, Costco, K-mart, Home Depot and others,
urging them to stop selling Chinese-made merchandise. They said they
would warn retail chains about communist China’s “imperialistic policies
and undemocratic rule and widespread human and labor rights
violations.”
Dr. Do and many rally organizers, such as Rene Ballenas and Bambi
Lorica, pledged they were even willing to stay away from Chinese
restaurants.
“We are global citizens scattered throughout the world who can
mobilize and galvanize public opinion against China,” said rally speaker
Joe Ramos said. “China’s export economy is very vulnerable.”
Lachica said the Boycott-China campaign will “change history,”
harnessing the support of millions of Asian Americans. He said People
Power in America could start with the 1.5 million Vietnamese in the
U.S. and the approximately four million Filipino Americans.
“If only one million of us, Filipinos, out of the four million will
not buy Chinese products or goods just once a month, we will create a
huge financial penalty on China. China will lose almost a quarter of a
billion dollars per year,” Lachica projected.
He stressed Filipinos are not against Chinese people or Chinese
American friends, but “if we value our economy and our freedom of labor,
we should boycott and not buy Chinese communist products.”
He said further that the global community should close ranks against
Beijing’s bullying and be made aware that the communist government is
using its might to encroach on smaller countries like the Philippines
and Vietnam.
“This is treachery, an invasion of Philippine territory,” Loida
Nicolas Lewis, chair of the U.S. Pinoys for Good Governance, said in a
statement. “Their (China) ships are still in the Panatag Shoal and
continue to violate international laws. We want this issue brought to
the United Nations International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea. China
has refused to agree. China’s government is belligerent.”
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