Chinese scholars' Batanes claim sparks concern, DFA dismisses issue

Chinese scholars' sovereignty claims over Batanes have drawn criticism from top Philippine defense and military officials, as well as the public, while the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has taken a different stance, saying the issue does not warrant a response.

The DFA maintained that "sovereignty over Batanes is settled and not up for debate," even as several government officials warned that the assertion could gain traction if left unchallenged.

"The Philippines will not entertain revisionist claims over its territory and calls on so-called scholars to focus their energies on genuine, good-faith studies of the region," the DFA told reporters late Thursday.

The department also emphasized that the Chinese Consulate General in Laoag's approved consular district includes Batanes as part of the Philippines.

The statement came after a symposium at Jinan University, where Chinese scholars reportedly claimed that Batanes, the Philippines' northernmost island province, is a "natural geographical extension" of Taiwan.

However, the Chinese Embassy in Manila has yet to confirm whether it shares the same position.

The scholars argued that because Beijing claims Taiwan as part of its territory, China's sovereignty naturally extends to Batanes, which lies south of Taiwan across the Luzon Strait.

While the DFA said the territorial claims made by Chinese academics "should not be dignified with a response," several government officials and experts argued that they should not be taken lightly.

Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Commodore Jay Tarriela said the claims must be immediately debunked, warning that China's illegal assertions over Philippine territory could expand if left unchallenged.

"They are going to rewrite history once again. We never know, China might even claim Ilog Pasig as well," Tarriela said.

Renato de Castro, an international security and foreign relations expert at De La Salle University, agreed, saying the issue deserves serious attention because the narrative would likely not have been advanced without the Chinese government's approval.

"This institution will not be able to conduct the symposium if it does not have the approval of the Chinese Communist Party," De Castro said.

He added that the territorial claims could be linked to China's reported ambition to seize Taiwan by 2027, potentially placing Batanes at greater strategic risk.

"We recognize the strategic relevance of the area between Luzon and Taiwan. China clearly intends to seize not just the West Philippine Sea or South China Sea, but potentially the Luzon Strait as well, given its location just south of Taiwan," he said.

"And everyone is aware of China's plans regarding Taiwan by 2027," De Castro added.

The scholars' claims surfaced just days before the Philippines marks the 10th anniversary of the 2016 arbitral ruling, which upheld Manila's claims in the West Philippine Sea and declared Beijing's expansive claims in the disputed waters to have no legal basis.

The issue also emerged after the Philippines and Japan announced the start of talks to delimit their overlapping exclusive economic zones and continental shelves in waters east of Taiwan.

Despite the landmark arbitral ruling, China continues to assert jurisdiction over almost the entire South China Sea, including areas that overlap with the Philippines' exclusive economic zone in the West Philippine Sea.

Speaking during the anniversary commemoration of the arbitral award on Friday, DFA Secretary Maria Theresa Lazaro reiterated that the decision is "final" and "legally binding."

"By authoritatively ruling that historic claims within the fictional 'nine-dash line' have no basis in law, the 2016 Arbitral Award permanently illuminated once-murky waters. It stands as a landmark triumph of peaceful dispute settlement," Lazaro said.

The Chinese Embassy in Manila recently dismissed the ruling anew as "illegal, null, and void," calling it "political manipulation disguised in legal garb."

Although the Philippines and China signed an agreement in July last year to de-escalate tensions in the disputed waters, Beijing has continued actions against Philippine vessels, including the use of water cannons, military-grade lasers, and other coercive measures.