Philippine sovereignty over Batanes ‘not up for debate’

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Thursday reaffirmed Philippine sovereignty over Batanes, declaring it “settled and not up for debate” after Chinese scholars reportedly claimed the country’s northernmost province belongs to China through Taiwan.

The DFA dismissed the reported claim and said the Philippines would not entertain what it described as revisionist claims over its territory.

“Flights of fancy should not be dignified with a response. Nevertheless, the Philippines’ sovereignty over Batanes is settled and not up for debate,” the department said in a statement.

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The DFA also called on the scholars behind the reported claim to “focus their energies on genuine, good-faith studies of the region.”

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READ: Teodoro on Chinese scholars’ Batanes claim: It’s a joke

It added that China’s own diplomatic arrangements recognize Batanes as part of the Philippines.

“The Philippine-approved consular district of the Chinese Consulate General in Laoag includes the Philippine province of Batanes,” the DFA said.

READ: Chinese academics claim Batanes belongs to China through Taiwan

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The statement came after Chinese scholars reportedly claimed during a June 30 symposium hosted by Jinan University in Guangzhou that the Philippines has no historical or legal basis for administering Batanes and that sovereignty over the island province belongs to China through Taiwan.

According to a report published by Jinan University and carried by Guangdong-based news outlet Newsgd, participants at the symposium described Batanes as a “natural geographical extension” of Taiwan and asserted that sovereignty over the islands belongs to China.

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The report also said the scholars argued that the “so-called Japan-Philippines maritime delimitation negotiations” in the area have no legal validity.

Neither the report published by Jinan University nor public statements from Chinese authorities indicate that Beijing has formally asserted sovereignty over Batanes.

Earlier Thursday, Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. rejected the reported claim as “ludicrous” and without legal basis, saying it could signal China’s broader strategic ambitions in the region.

International maritime law expert Jay Batongbacal likewise dismissed the reported conclusions, saying they reflected what he described as Beijing’s “malign and aggressive intent” and could be intended to lay the groundwork for future claims tied to a potential conflict over Taiwan.

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Batanes is the Philippines’ northernmost province, situated between Luzon and Taiwan along the Bashi Channel, a strategic waterway linking the South China Sea and the western Pacific. /cb