The National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) has strongly rejected claims made by some Chinese scholars asserting that the Batanes Islands belong to China, saying the statements have no basis in historical evidence and international law.
In a statement, the NHCP condemned the claims raised during an academic symposium held at Jinan University in China on June 30, 2026, where some scholars reportedly argued that Batanes is a natural geographic extension of Taiwan and that China should exercise sovereignty over the islands.
The agency said the assertions were based on “evident bad faith” and would not withstand scrutiny in legitimate academic discussions outside China.
“Like a post that circulated in social media in 2025 over Palawan, these ‘claims’ have no rational basis in substantive research and operate from evident bad faith. They would never stand under scrutiny in academic discourse outside of the People’s Republic of China,” the NHCP said.
The NHCP disputed the claim that Batanes is merely an extension of Taiwan, citing satellite and oceanographic data showing a continuous shelf extending from Northern Luzon through the Babuyan and Batanes Islands and into parts of the Taiwan archipelago.
The commission also rejected the argument that Batanes was historically under the jurisdiction of Taiwan during the Ming and Qing dynasties, pointing to historical records showing no evidence of Chinese governance over the islands.
The NHCP cited British explorer William Dampier’s documentation of Batanes in 1687, which it said showed that the Ivatan people maintained their own communities and engaged in maritime trade with other nations.
The agency emphasized that Philippine sovereignty over Batanes has been continuous since 1783, when the Spanish colonial government formally integrated the islands into the Province of Cagayan.
It also highlighted the participation of Ivatans in the Philippine Revolution and their representation in the Malolos Congress and succeeding national legislatures as proof of Batanes’ long-standing connection to the Philippine state.
The NHCP further rejected claims that Batanes should have been returned to China after World War II, saying Japan could not transfer territory that did not belong to it.
“Japan cannot give to China what clearly belongs to the Philippines,” the NHCP said, adding that the people of Batanes had already liberated themselves from Japanese occupation by early 1945.
The commission expressed solidarity with the people of Batanes and reaffirmed their right to remain part of the Philippines.
“Knowledge can only be true if grounded on good faith. No amount of fabrication will erase the truths of our past,” the NHCP said.
The statement came after reports that Chinese scholars claimed during the Jinan University symposium that Batanes legally belongs to China through Taiwan. The Philippine government has rejected the assertion, with the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) earlier stating that the country’s sovereignty over Batanes is “settled and not up for debate.”
