In the first place, China is now a world economic power, and the visit of the Chinese officials is significant for economic and cultural relations. Mayor Wang signed a sister-city agreement with Manila’s Lito Atienza, making the fourth for Manila (with Montreal and Winnipeg, Canada, Acapulco, Mexico, and San Francisco, USA.) The agreement with Manila is the first time since 2000 that Beijing entered into a sister-agreement with any city.

The word "invasion" takes us down memory lane, back to 421 years ago (1574) when 4,000 Chinese, coming in seven large junks, swarmed all over the "ever loyal and faithful city." They were led by Lin Tao Kien, whom the Spaniards — and we — know as Limahon or Li Ma Hong. Martin de Goiti, after whom Plaza Goiti is named, was killed in the siege, and only the timely arrival of the Adelantado Miguel Lopez de Legazpi’s nephew, the gallant Juan de Salcedo, drove out Lin Tao Kien’s hordes.

This time, the hope is that with the "new invasion," China’s economic prowess will rub off on us. There is much to learn from China, notably Beijing, according to Mayor Atienza, especially in "strategically planning how segments or areas of the city can be developed with a view to capitalizing on their specific value and cutting edge."

Indeed, there’s a lot to learn from a people whose revolutionary leader, Mao Zedong, once urged them to adopt what’s good in other countries and to reject what’s bad. Deng Xiaoping followed with the saying, "It doesn’t matter whether the cat is black or white so long as it catches mice."

Mayor Atienza knows this. But in the larger political order, the good things we adopt do not seem to work, and our cat, black, white, or purple, is no match for the rats.