Philippine Defense Chief Rejects Chinese Scholars' Claim Over Northernmost Province

The Philippines' defense minister has dismissed claims by Chinese scholars that the country's northernmost province, Batanes, belongs to China, labeling the assertions as "baseless" and "ludicrous." The scholars, from institutions including Nanjing University and the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, asserted at a symposium on June 30 that the Batanes Islands are a "natural geographical extension" of Taiwan, which Beijing considers a renegade province. Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro stated that these comments might be a "signal of a preconceived intention" by the Chinese government, which claims sovereignty over much of the South China Sea. He suggested this validates the Philippines' long-held view that China has a plan to control the entire Pacific Ocean. "We know this is baseless. This is nonsense. It is ludicrous," he added, emphasizing that the claims are "concerning, and it is something that must be challenged." The symposium was reportedly convened "in direct response" to a late May summit between Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, where the two leaders announced negotiations to delimit their exclusive economic zones (EEZs) east of Taiwan. The Chinese scholars cited in a report by Jinan University claimed this move constituted a "grave violation of international law and infringes upon China’s legitimate sovereignty in the waters." While the scholars' assertions do not represent a formal claim by Beijing, they could set a worrisome precedent for the Philippines. The SeaLight project at Stanford University noted that such academic conclusions could help legitimize China's recent "gray zone" activities near the Bashi Channel, a strategic strait separating Batanes from Taiwan's Orchid Island. China has recently described its naval transits through this channel as a "sovereignty declaration with both legal significance and political signaling." Collin Koh, a senior fellow at Singapore's S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, described the Batanes claims as "territorial wet dreams" of Beijing-aligned scholars but cautioned that such ideas could "seep into official discourse if they fit ethno-nationalist agendas." Chinese state media have also echoed these sentiments, suggesting China should assert its sovereignty over Batanes in light of "evolving collusive moves between Japan and the Philippines." Batanes is the smallest and least populated of the Philippines' 82 provinces, home to 18,937 people. Even without a formal claim, placing Batanes on the "gray zone" menu would mark a significant escalation in Beijing's pressure campaign against the Philippines. The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs issued a statement asserting that Manila "will not entertain revisionist claims over its territory" and urged the scholars to "focus their energies on genuine, good-faith studies of the region."