Jamaine Punzalan

Batan Island in Batanes province, March 26, 2025. Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News

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DOT PEP at Batanes

Zen Hernandez

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/178358494921020250326-batanes-dot-MD.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Batan Island in Batanes province, March 26, 2025. Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News</span></span></span></div><p>MANILA — Philippine defense officials and maritime experts are raising concerns over what they described as the possible start of a new Chinese &quot;lawfare&quot; campaign after a symposium in China reportedly concluded that the Philippines&#x27; northernmost <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/weather-traffic/2026/7/9/wind-signal-no-2-now-up-in-batanes-as-inday-slightly-weakens-1152">Batanes Islands</a> belong to China through Taiwan.</p><p>In a post on X, maritime transparency initiative SeaLight said scholars at a June 30 symposium hosted by Jinan University in Guangzhou concluded that the Philippines&#x27; control over Batanes &quot;lacks historical and legal basis&quot; and that the islands belong to China.</p><p>SeaLight said participants at the symposium &quot;unanimously concluded that the Batanes Islands constitute a natural geographical extension of Taiwan, with sovereignty belonging to China, and that the so-called Japan-Philippines maritime delimitation negotiations in the area hold no legal validity.&quot;</p><p>Speaking during the National West Philippine Sea Summit on Thursday, SeaLight Executive Director Raymond Powell said the symposium was convened following the recent Japan-Philippines summit, where the two countries agreed to begin negotiations on maritime delimitation.</p><p>&quot;China saw an opportunity,&quot; Powell said. &quot;Japan and the Philippines announced negotiations. Japan used that pretext to do something that they wanted to do anyway, which is begin running these patrols east of Taiwan into the Philippine Sea. So, this is outside the 10-dash-line.&quot;</p><p>&quot;They then assembled the scholars to give them the legal overlay, the veneer to be able to justify what they wanted to do anyway. So we call this a pretext to escalate. If the pretext was the talks, the escalation now is underway.&quot;</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2026/6/7/china-holds-special-operation-near-taiwan-after-japan-philippines-sea-border-talks-1101">China holds &#x27;special operation&#x27; near Taiwan after Japan-Philippines sea border talks</a></div><p>Powell said Beijing appears to be building the legal narrative for future actions.</p><p>&quot;They have now assembled the beginnings of their lawfare.&quot;</p><p>While stressing that no Chinese government official has publicly asserted a claim over Batanes, Powell said the symposium could be an early test of such a narrative.</p><p>&quot;So far, there have not been any official government officials talking about the Batanes part of this, the claim over Batanes, but this is the trial balloon,&quot; he said.</p><p>&quot;They are starting with a provincial level paper, provincial level state media report. I&#x27;m sure we will see an official report coming out of this symposium, followed by, in the future, I&#x27;m sure there will begin to be officials, government officials talking about this. But this is Chinese lawfare in practice, and we&#x27;re seeing it real time.&quot;</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2026/4/10/chinese-taiwanese-will-unite-xi-tells-taiwan-opposition-leader-1506">Chinese, Taiwanese will unite, Xi tells Taiwan opposition leader</a></div><p>National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea spokesperson Commodore Jay Tarriela said he had only learned of the symposium and was discussing it with former Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio.</p><p>&quot;This is my first time to hear about it. Nag-usap nga kami ni Justice Carpio, we&#x27;re trying to figure out anong naging basehan na naman ng mga Chinese, ng Chinese government or just the students, to claim na merong kaugnayan ang Batanes sa Taiwan,&quot; Tarriela said. </p><p>Tarriela dismissed the reported conclusions as another attempt to justify China&#x27;s expanding claims.</p><p>&quot;They always come up with different lies and misinformation to justify and also to expand their areas sa South China Sea,” he said.</p><p>&quot;We should really debunk and counter all these lies. Otherwise, kapag hindi natin pinatulan &#x27;tong mga ganitong kasinungalingan uulit-ulitin lang nila and they are going to rewrite history once again. Baka hindi natin alam, baka pati Ilog Pasig angkinin na rin ng China.&quot;</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/5/19/marcos-ph-won-t-interfere-with-china-taiwan-issue-1004">PH will &#x27;not interfere&#x27; with China-Taiwan issue, Marcos says ahead of meeting with Japan&#x27;s Takaichi</a></div><p>He said the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) continue to patrol the Luzon Strait and waters surrounding Batanes while conducting maritime domain awareness (MDA) flights to monitor for any Chinese incursions.</p><p>Political analyst Renato de Castro said the Philippine government should not dismiss the symposium simply because it involved academics.</p><p>&quot;Dapat eh. Kasi unang-una yung mga academics na &#x27;yan, saka yung institution na &#x27;yan, hindi nila magagawa, ma-conduct yung symposium na &#x27;yan at yung tema na &#x27;yan kung wala &#x27;yang approval mula sa Communist Party of China,&quot; De Castro said. </p><p>&quot;Tandaan natin, walang academic freedom sa Tsina. Lalo na sa Jinan University, kasi ang Jinan University, eskwelahan &#x27;yan para sa overseas Chinese. Talagang hawak &#x27;yan ng Partido Komunista ng China,” he added.</p><p>De Castro believes the symposium marks the opening stage of a broader campaign.</p><p>&quot;Palagay ko &#x27;yan na yung umpisa, na talagang isasagawa nila yung kumbaga lawfare, and of course claims sa Batanes,&quot; he said. </p><p>He also believes the move is linked not only to the planned Philippines-Japan maritime delimitation talks but also to Beijing&#x27;s long-term plans regarding Taiwan.</p><p>&quot;Tingin ko linked ito sa balak ng Tsina sa Taiwan by 2027... Balak talaga ng Tsina na hindi lang sakupin ang West Philippine Sea, baka pati na ang Luzon Strait,&quot; he said. </p><p>Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. likewise dismissed the reported conclusions.</p><p>&quot;Kung ito ay produkto ng sinasabi nilang mga scholars nila, nakita mo naman kung anong klaseng pag-iisip ang ginagawa ng isang lipunan na kontrolado ng Communist Party of China,&quot; the official said. </p><p>He said the symposium could be “a signaling of a pre-conceived intention already.” </p><p>“Hindi rin malayo na nasa plano nila &#x27;yan and it also validates yung sinasabi natin that they have the plan to control the whole Pacific Ocean,&quot; Teodoro said. </p><p>&quot;Walang basehan ito, kalokohan ito. It&#x27;s ludicrous,” he added.</p><p>Teodoro called on academics worldwide to reject the theory.</p><p>&quot;We should not allow this to go unresponded to. Number one, all academics in the world should throw cold water already on this theory. Kalokohan na &#x27;yan eh,&quot; he said. </p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/7/7/ph-us-air-concern-after-china-s-missile-test-in-pacific-ocean-0900">PH, US air concern over China&#x27;s missile test in Pacific Ocean</a><br/><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/6/29/4-chinese-vessels-follow-ph-us-maritime-exercise-near-bajo-de-masinloc-0732">4 Chinese vessels follow PH-US maritime exercise near Bajo de Masinloc</a><br/><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/7/5/marcos-says-china-s-sanctions-vs-gibo-teodoro-very-unhelpful-1155">Marcos says China&#x27;s sanctions vs Gibo Teodoro &#x27;very unhelpful&#x27;</a></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEOS:</strong><br/><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/AlZa8jKY1_U?&amp;t=16s&amp;pp=0gcJCU8LAYcqIYzv&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/JkxAvcTttrk?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></div>

<p>Philippine defense officials and maritime experts are raising concerns over what they described as the possible start of a new Chinese "lawfare" campaign after a symposium in China reportedly concluded that the Philippines' northernmost Batanes Islands belong to China through Taiwan.</p>

Philippine defense officials and maritime experts are raising concerns over what they described as the possible start of a new Chinese "lawfare" campaign after a symposium in China reportedly concluded that the Philippines' northernmost Batanes Islands belong to China through Taiwan.

Batanes belongs to China? Symposium sparks concern over reported claim

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Batanes belongs to China? Symposium sparks concern over reported claim

Zen Hernandez,

ABS-CBN News

Published July 09, 2026 04:17 PM PHT

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Updated July 09, 2026 04:41 PM PHT

Read More:

Philippines

China

West Philippine Sea

Batanes

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