MANILA – Filipino officials and analysts have responded with fierce pushback after Chinese academic assertions claimed that Beijing holds sovereignty over the Batanes Islands, the northernmost archipelago of the Philippines.
The claims emerged from an academic discussion held on June 30 at Jinan University in Guangzhou, where scholars argued that the islands legally belong to Taiwan and therefore fall under the sovereignty of the People’s Republic of China.
The assertions represent a significant escalation in territorial rhetoric, as the Batanes Islands are situated between Taiwan and the northern tip of Luzon. Analysts suggest the timing of these claims serves as a strategic warning amid ongoing maritime border negotiations between Japan and the Philippines.
Claims Over Batanes and Babuyan Islands
The discussion at Jinan University involved participants from various institutions, including the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), the premier think tank of the Chinese government. According to a university news release that was published and subsequently deleted, the scholars reached a consensus on two primary territorial points:
- The Batanes Islands legally belong to Taiwan, placing them under Chinese sovereignty.
- China maintains sovereign rights over the nearby Babuyan Islands.
The scholars based these claims on a combination of territorial treaties and alleged ethnic ties between the populations of Batanes and Taiwan. They further argued that the current control exercised by Manila over the archipelago lacks a historical and legal foundation, implicitly challenging provisions of the 1987 Philippine Constitution that define the country’s territory and sovereignty.
Philippine officials counter that Batanes and Babuyan are internationally recognized as integral parts of the Philippine state, administered as provinces and island groups under domestic law and reflected in Manila’s submissions to global maritime bodies.
Strategic Timing and Regional Border Talks
The university’s own documentation stated that the discussion “served China’s key strategic interests.” This academic exercise coincided with high-level maritime border talks between the Philippines and Japan, two nations that have increasingly strengthened security ties to counter Beijing’s influence in the South China Sea.
The geographical positioning of Batanes makes it a critical point of interest for regional security. The archipelago sits along the Bashi Channel, a strategic waterway that connects the South China Sea to the Philippine Sea and serves as a primary transit route for naval and commercial vessels. The area also lies close to several sites designated under the Philippines’ Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) with the United States, adding a practical defense-planning dimension to what might otherwise be viewed as a purely academic exchange.
Geopolitical Context and US Involvement
The assertions align with Beijing’s long-standing position that Taiwan is a province of China to be reunited, a process it has stated it may pursue by force if necessary.
While the Philippines and the United States do not officially recognize Taiwan as an independent state, the geopolitical alignment remains complex:
- The United States is committed to supplying Taiwan with weapons for self-defense under its domestic legislation and longstanding policy.
- Washington opposes any attempt to seize the self-governed island by force.
- The Philippines maintains a Mutual Defense Treaty with the United States, which covers armed attacks on Philippine armed forces, public vessels, aircraft, or territory in the Pacific area.
Manila’s legal and security commitments mean any escalation around Batanes could quickly intersect with alliance obligations and defense planning, sharpening the diplomatic implications of what Chinese scholars describe as a historical and legal debate.
Response from Philippine Academic Circles
The claims have been dismissed by regional experts as politically motivated rather than scholarly. Lucio Blanco Pitlo of the Philippine Association for Chinese Studies questioned the objectivity of the Jinan University discussion.
“The intention and objectivity of such supposed scholarly assertions are suspect. They are manifestations of turbulence in the relations and should not be overplayed,” said Pitlo.
Pitlo and other analysts argue that framing the discussion as an academic exercise risks normalizing narratives that could later be invoked to justify policy or military actions, a pattern they say has appeared in other maritime disputes.
The deletion of the university’s original news release has not silenced the debate, as the claims have already been integrated into the broader tension regarding maritime boundaries in the Luzon Strait. For Philippine policymakers, the episode reinforces concern that academic and think-tank outputs are increasingly being used as instruments of statecraft.
The Philippine government continues to maintain administrative and legal control over the Batanes and Babuyan archipelagos, and officials say there are no plans to alter existing governance, security posture, or maritime patrols in the area in response to the Chinese scholars’ assertions.