NHCP debunks Chinese scholars’ claim over Batanes

The statement comes amid a series of strong responses from Philippine officials.

The National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) has strongly rejected claims made by a group of Chinese scholars asserting that China has sovereignty over Batanes, calling the arguments historically inaccurate, unsupported by evidence, and made in bad faith.

In a statement, the NHCP condemned conclusions reportedly reached during a June 30 symposium at Jinan University in China, where participants claimed that Batanes is a “natural geographic extension” of Taiwan and therefore belongs to China. The commission said the assertions “have no rational basis in substantive research” and would not withstand scrutiny in legitimate academic discourse.

The agency systematically refuted the claims, beginning with the argument that Batanes is geographically part of Taiwan. It said satellite and oceanographic data instead show a continuous continental shelf extending from Northern Luzon through the Babuyan and Batanes islands before reaching parts of the Taiwan archipelago, supporting the Philippines’ geographic claim.

The NHCP also dismissed assertions that Batanes was under the jurisdiction of Taiwan Prefecture during the Ming and Qing dynasties. It cited historical records, including British explorer William Dampier’s 1687 account, which found no evidence of Chinese governance over the islands. Instead, archaeological and historical research consistently shows that the Ivatan people lived independently while maintaining trade with neighboring maritime communities.

According to the commission, Spanish authorities formally incorporated Batanes into the Province of Cagayan in 1783, and Philippine governments and their legal predecessors have exercised continuous sovereignty over the islands ever since. It added that the Ivatans fought alongside other Filipinos against Spanish rule, were represented in the Malolos Congress, and have remained part of every succeeding Philippine government.

The NHCP likewise rejected claims that Batanes should have been returned to China after World War II, stressing that Japan could not return territory that already belonged to the Philippines. It also noted that the people of Batanes had liberated the islands from Japanese occupation by early 1945.

“The people of Batanes had already liberated themselves from Japanese rule by early 1945. This only proves beyond any doubt that Batanes has always been Filipino,” the commission said.

The agency compared the latest assertions to similar claims circulated online about Palawan in 2025, saying both relied on fabricated historical narratives rather than credible scholarship.

Reaffirming its support for the people of Batanes, the NHCP declared that the province has always been an integral part of the Philippines and urged academic institutions to uphold rigorous, good-faith research.

The statement comes amid a series of strong responses from Philippine officials. The Department of Foreign Affairs said Philippine sovereignty over Batanes is “settled and not up for debate,” while Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. dismissed the Chinese scholars’ assertions as “disinformation,” “baseless,” and “ludicrous.”

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