Philippines rejects Chinese scholars' claim over its island province near Taiwan

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GILBERTO TEODORO JR. The Philippines' Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr speaks at the IISS Shangri-La Dialogue security summit in Singapore, May 31, 2026.

Caroline Chia/Reuters

According to a GDToday report, scholars from institutions including Nanjing University argue at a June 30 symposium that Batanes was a natural extension of Taiwan and therefore belonged to China

MANILA, Philippines – The defense minister of the Philippines on Thursday, July 9, rejected as “baseless” and “ludicrous” assertions by Chinese scholars that its northernmost island-chain province belongs to Beijing, calling the claim concerning and worthy of challenge.