1405 China-Sulu Treaty revisited

Long before the United States signed the Carpenter-Kiram Agreement placing Mindanao and Sulu under a US protectorate, the Sultanate of Sulu had a pending treaty with China to place Sulu and North Borneo under the protection of the Ming Dynasty with an aim to safeguard the South China Sea and the commercial Silk Sea route.

Abraham Idjirani, spokesperson for the Mindanao Sulu Unification Movement (MSUM), said the ancient China-Sulu treaty was approved with the signing of a Treaty in the Status of an Independent Tributary State in 1405.

This treaty was signed by Chinese Muslim Admiral Sam Pao, representing Emperor Yong Le of the Ming Dynasty, and Sultan Mahashari Maulanech I.

Idjirani said the MSUM has a copy of the ancient treaty.

However, the treaty was never completed due to the failure to submit the Sulu map, which would have outlined its territories and population.

Idjirani said that in 2017, the late Boy Saycon, who accompanied the Sulu Sultanate delegation during the 600th anniversary of Paduka Pahala’s visit to Dezhou, Shandong province, initially discussed the treaty with Chinese officials, but the initiative ended with his passing.

The MSUM spokesperson talked about the history that led to the signing of the so-called treaty.

In 1417, Paduka Pahala sailed with his family and 300 others to pay tribute to Emperor Yong Le of the Ming Dynasty. He was welcomed by the emperor but contracted a mysterious disease on his return journey and died in Dezhou, Shandong.

The emperor commissioned artisans to build a tomb for the deceased monarch, which still stands today. His descendants converted to Islam while in Shandong and were later classified as members of the Hui nation.

Paduka Batara, king of the Eastern Kingdom of Sulu in the early 1400s, visited Beijing with his queen and entourage to trade and meet with Emperor Yong Le, a close friend of the Sulu monarch.

The 32nd Sultan Punjungan Kiram, during his 1980 royal inaugural speech, declared that powerful nations such as China, Spain, the UK, and the US used to send ambassadors to the Sultanate of Sulu.

However, as time passed, the kingdom entered a period of isolation until Governor Sakur M. Tan promoted peace and economic development for the Bangsa Sug in Sulu.

The 1405 treaty was rooted in mutual trust and non-interference, and Emperor Yong Le extended an imperial invitation to the Sulu East King and his retinue for a formal 17-day visit to China. This treaty, focusing on commercial and trade relations, lasted until the Sulu Kingdom came under American rule in 1900.

During the height of the Spanish invasion in the 17th century, Emperor Cheung and Sultan Alimud Din I, along with three other Sultans of Sulu who had visited China before him, discussed placing the Sultanate of Sulu and North Borneo under Chinese protection.

However, the agreement was not finalized due to the absence of maps detailing Sulu’s territories and population.

The legacy of the 1405 China-Sulu Treaty has shaped nearly seven centuries of commercial, trade, and friendly relations between China and Sulu. This historical connection was revived with the 1995 visit of Datu Raja Muda Esmail Kiram II and later of Sultan Jamalul Kiram III in 1997.

In 2017, the reigning 35th Sultan Phugdalun Kiram II was invited to attend the 600th anniversary commemoration of the East King of Sulu’s death in Dezhou, Shandong province. The event culminated with Chinese President Xi Jinping recognizing the historical significance of the treaty and its impact on China-Sulu relations.