Why a Chinese academic claim over Batanes has unsettled the Philippines
Chinese scholars at a symposium in Guangzhou have claimed that the Philippine province of Batanes belongs to China via Taiwan. Philippine officials and historians have rejected these claims, citing geographical and historical inaccuracies.
Why it matters
The rhetoric escalates regional tensions in the South China Sea and complicates the Philippines' maritime sovereignty disputes with Beijing.
A university symposium in Guangzhou has placed the Philippines’ northernmost province of Batanes at the centre of a new argument over history, geography and sovereignty, after scholars at the event claimed the islands belonged to Taiwan and, on that basis, fell under overall Chinese sovereignty.
The claim, made at a June 30 symposium hosted by Jinan University in Guangzhou, has been rejected by Philippine historians and officials, who dispute the scholars’ reading of geography, dynastic administration, cultural links and post-war treaties.
Beijing sees Taiwan as part of China, to be reunited by force if necessary. Most countries, including the United States, do not recognise Taiwan as an independent state, but Washington opposes any attempt to take the self-governed island by force and is committed to supplying it with weapons.
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