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🇵🇭 Philippines /Conflict & Security

Stratbase urges the Philippines to reject Chinese paper’s claim that Batanes is part of Taiwan

From Philippine Daily Inquirer · () English

Translated from English and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • Stratbase Institute called on the Philippine government to reject a Global Times opinion article claiming that Batanes was legally part of Taiwan.
  • Institute President Victor Andres Manhit said the claim sought to create ambiguity over settled sovereignty and urged a unified response through diplomacy, law, public information, and governance.
  • The dispute follows an earlier report from Chinese academics asserting that Batanes is a natural extension of Taiwan and belongs to China, a claim Philippine Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro dismissed as baseless.

Stratbase Institute is urging the Philippine government to respond firmly after China’s Global Times published an opinion article claiming that the Batanes Islands were legally part of Taiwan.

The article, published on September 3 under the headline “History shows that Batanes Islands do not belong to the Philippines,” said the islands had been legally part of Taiwan and that no legal basis existed to place them within Philippine territory.

We urge the Philippine government to mount a firm, unified, and sustained response, through diplomacy, law, public information, and effective governance, to reject narratives that undermine the country’s territorial integrity.

· Victor Andres ManhitThe Stratbase president called for a coordinated Philippine response to the Batanes claim.

Victor Andres Manhit, president of the Stratbase Institute, described the repetition of the claim as a clear effort to manufacture uncertainty where none existed. He urged Manila to answer through diplomacy, law, public information, and effective governance rather than allow what he called a manufactured dispute over settled sovereignty.

An opinion piece cannot rewrite history, international agreements, or more than two centuries of continuous Philippine administration.

· Victor Andres ManhitHe rejected the Global Times article’s argument about Batanes sovereignty.

“We urge the Philippine government to mount a firm, unified, and sustained response, through diplomacy, law, public information, and effective governance, to reject narratives that undermine the country’s territorial integrity,” Manhit said. He reaffirmed that Batanes is part of the Philippines and said its sovereignty was not open to debate.

Manhit added that “an opinion piece cannot rewrite history, international agreements, or more than two centuries of continuous Philippine administration.” His comments followed a report by Jinan University and the Guangdong-based outlet Newsgf, which said participants at a symposium in Guangzhou described Batanes as a natural geographical extension of Taiwan and claimed sovereignty belonged to China. Philippine authorities, including Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro, condemned that earlier claim. Teodoro called it baseless and a joke. Manhit also urged Filipino civil society groups, media organizations, and academics to defend what he called the facts and meet false narratives with vigilance, credible information, and national resolve.

To stand united in defending the facts: Batanes is ours. False narratives must be met with vigilance, credible information, and national resolve.

· Victor Andres ManhitHe called on civil society, media, and academics to oppose claims challenging Philippine sovereignty.
About this summary

Originally published by Philippine Daily Inquirer in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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