Are the Philippines' Northern Batanes Islands Part of China? Absurd Academic Claim Angers Manila, Taiwan Dragged In

In recent years, China has set its sights on the southern end of the Bashi Strait—the northernmost territory of the Philippines—as part of its broader strategy to break through the First Island Chain and gain de facto control over the western Pacific. At an academic seminar, Chinese scholars argued that the Philippine Batanes Islands (Batanes) are a natural geographical extension of Taiwan's main island, and therefore, under the principle that 'Taiwan is part of China,' the region should legally fall under Chinese sovereignty. This claim has sparked fury in Manila, with Philippine authorities denouncing the assertion as baseless and utterly absurd.

According to a report by Reuters, the Guangdong provincial government's overseas media outlet, GDToday, covered a June 30 academic forum where strategic researchers from Nanjing University and other institutions presented an outlandish argument. They claimed that the Batanes Islands, located at the northern tip of the Philippines, are geographically and geologically a natural extension of Taiwan, and thus, based on the principle of Taiwan being an inseparable part of China, the islands should legally belong to China.

The Philippine Defense Secretary, Gilberto Teodoro, expressed strong anger on the 9th over what he described as a 'fantasy-based' claim targeting a key national defense area. He harshly rejected China's territorial assertion as completely groundless and 'utterly foolish,' warning that this move signals Beijing's dangerous ambition to annex the entire Pacific.

On July 8, 2024, Japanese Foreign Minister Kamikawa Yoko and Philippine Defense Secretary Teodoro shook hands after signing an agreement in Manila. (AP)

Although the Chinese government or its foreign ministry has not issued any official response to this 'Batanes Islands belong to China' theory, Manila remains on high alert. This northernmost territory is no ordinary region—it serves as a strategic military cooperation site between the Philippines and the United States.

Defense Secretary Teodoro told multiple foreign media outlets, 'Let me reiterate: this is clearly a dangerous signal of premeditated aggression released by the Chinese authorities. If you believe this isn't part of their actual military expansion plans, you're being far too naive. The statements made by these Chinese scholars perfectly confirm the long-standing warnings of the Philippine government—that deep within Beijing's leadership, there exists a reckless ambition to fully control the entire Pacific Ocean.'

Teodoro also sarcastically remarked that he couldn't understand why China would fabricate such lies. 'Everyone knows this viewpoint is utterly nonsensical and baseless nonsense,' he said. Meanwhile, the Chinese Embassy in Manila remained silent when questioned by foreign media.

Just 160 km from Taiwan

Strategically, the Batanes Islands sit at a critical chokepoint in the western Pacific, guarding both Taiwan's security and global maritime trade routes. The province has fewer than 20,000 permanent residents but lies just 160 km from the southern tip of Taiwan, squarely in the center of the strategically vital Luzon Strait.

Basco Lighthouse, Batanes Islands

The Basco Lighthouse is a tourist landmark in the Batanes Islands province of the Philippines, located on a hill in the provincial capital, Basco Town. Photo by Lin Xingjian, Central News Agency, June 26, 2023

The Luzon Strait connects the South China Sea to the western Pacific and serves as a strategic maritime corridor. Annually, approximately $3 trillion (about NT$96 trillion) worth of international trade cargo and oil shipments pass through this strait, making it a crucial passage for naval submarines from both the U.S. and China traveling to and from deep-sea operations.

To prevent the Chinese People's Liberation Army from quickly encircling Taiwan, the U.S. and the Philippines have significantly reinforced their military presence in the Batanes Islands under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA). They have built ports, deployed anti-aircraft missile systems and long-range radar, and conducted multiple large-scale multinational joint military exercises named 'Balikatan' in the area.

Political commentators suggest that Chinese scholars chose this moment to introduce the 'Batanes sovereignty theory' as a clear act of retaliation against the Philippines and Japan, who in May jointly announced the launch of strategic cooperation. At that time, the two countries declared they would officially negotiate maritime boundary delimitation and joint law enforcement in overlapping exclusive economic zones (EEZs) and continental shelves, in accordance with international law and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).