226 { China’s Quest
to supply weapons from the abundance of ex-US equipment that Hanoi had
captured.^90 Things looked bright for the CPT.
Unfortunately for the CPT, escalating rivalry between Beijing and Hanoi
doomed its cause.The Philippines and Northeast IndiaThe Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) was formed in 1930 with
Comintern support. It played a significant role in guerrilla resistance to
Japanese occupation during World War II and launched an insurrection
against the Manila government when the Philippines became independent
in 1946. That insurgency flared briefly, but in the 1950s was worn down by
a combination of land reform and counterinsurgency, both with US assis-
tance. By the 1960s the insurgency presented little threat to the Philippine
government. Nor was there evidence of Chinese support during that period.
In 1969, however, a wing of the CPP undertook to revitalize the revolutionary
movment with inspiration from China, Vietnam, and Cuba and enjoying
Chinese material support.^91 The new party quickly formed the New People’s
Army (NPA) and launched an insurrection in January 1970. In 1968, appar-
ently in preparation for the projected armed struggle, the CPP dispatched a
representative to China, ostensibly to serve as a Tagalog language specialist
for Radio Beijing, but actually serving as liaison to Kang Sheng and his ILD
system.^92 CPP leaders had learned from PKI leader Aidit of China’s gener-
osity toward foreign revolutionary movements, and decided to apply for
help. A small and highly secret CPP group flew to Macao in July 1971 and
made their way to Guangdong, where they were received as revolutionary
comrades and conveyed to Beijing. CPP leaders sought arms for the large
numbers of new recruits who were expected to join the revolutionary move-
ment following a planned bombing at an opposition Liberal Party rally that
was to be carried out by the CPP but blamed on Ferdinand Marcos’ increas-
ingly repressive government. The provocative bombing was, in fact, carried
out on August 1971. As the CPP calculated, Marcos was generally blamed
for the bombing; only years later did investigation reveal CPP culpability.
At the time, senior ILD cadres were deeply apprehensive that China might
be implicated in the bombing. In any case, in 1971 China agreed to supply
1,200 US-designed but Chinese-manufactured (reportedly at a clandes-
tine facility) M-14 rifles, bazookas, mortars, ammunition, communication
gear, and medical kits. The ILD also provided money to purchase in Japan
a 90-foot fishing trawler to deliver the munitions. The July 1972 CPP oper-
ation to land the munitions was poorly planned; the ship ran aground and
was quickly reported to Philippine authorities. The designated landing zone
had been inadequately reconnoitered and turned out to be populated by local