CHINA CLAIM
OVER BATANES?
Chinese scholars call it a “natural extension” of Taiwan.
Ray Powell says it may justify patrols east of Batanes.
The Emerging Narrative
On June 30, 2026, a group of Chinese scholars gathered at Jinan University in Guangzhou. Academics from Nanjing University, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, and other institutions made a striking assertion: the Philippines’ northernmost province of Batanes constitutes a “natural geographical extension” of Taiwan.
Because Beijing maintains that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China, the scholars concluded that Batanes should also fall under Chinese sovereignty. They argued that Philippine administration “lacks historical and legal basis,” citing Ming and Qing dynasty records, navigation history, and cultural links between the Ivatan people and Taiwan’s indigenous Tao community.
Strategic Geography
Batanes sits at one of Asia’s most critical maritime chokepoints.
Why Batanes Matters
- Controls southern approaches to the Bashi Channel (Luzon Strait) — a vital artery between the South China Sea and the Pacific.
- Less than 200 km from Taiwan — within easy reach of coast guard and naval assets.
- Part of the Philippines’ “first island chain” defense posture.
- Recent Chinese Coast Guard activity already observed “bracketing” the islands in 2025.
“This narrative could serve as a pretext to justify a Chinese presence in Batanes and complicate discussions over the area.”
Ray Powell on the Claim
Powell, a retired U.S. Air Force Colonel and founder of the SeaLight maritime transparency initiative, was among the first to publicly highlight the symposium’s significance.
He described the event as part of Beijing’s broader “lawfare” strategy — using academic arguments and historical narratives to lay the groundwork for future operational moves.
Anatomy of the Scholarly Claim
What exactly did the Chinese academics say at the June 30 symposium?
Batanes is presented as a physical continuation of Taiwan’s landmass and continental shelf. Therefore, since Taiwan belongs to China, so does Batanes.
Scholars cited Ming and Qing dynasty records claiming Taiwan (and by extension its “appurtenances”) exercised jurisdiction over the Batan Islands. They also referenced cultural ties between Ivatan and Taiwan’s Tao people.
Reinterpretation of the 1898 Treaty of Paris and 1946 Treaty of Manila. Claim that Batanes should have been returned to China post-WWII as territory appurtenant to Taiwan.
Argued that Japan and the Philippines cannot legally delimit maritime boundaries east of Taiwan because Taiwan lies between them — rendering recent Japan-PH summit agreements “illegal and invalid.”
The Gray-Zone Playbook
How scholarly narratives can pave the way for operational presence
Test Your Understanding
Interactive tools to explore the issue
Do you think this scholarly narrative could be used to justify increased Chinese maritime patrols around or east of Batanes?
Philippine Perspective
The Philippines has exercised continuous sovereignty and administration over Batanes since the Spanish colonial period. The province is explicitly part of Philippine territory under the 1987 Constitution and has long been recognized as such by the international community.
Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. has already dismissed similar assertions as “nonsense” and “preconceived lies.”
“The narrative is circulating at the provincial level in China. While no official PRC claim exists today, these academic exercises are often the first step in building the domestic and international justification for future gray-zone operations.”
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