MANILA, July 9 - The defence minister of the Philippines rejected on Thursday claims by Chinese scholars that the country's northernmost island-chain province belongs to China, labeling the assertions "baseless" and "ludicrous" and saying they warrant challenge.
Chinese state-run news site GDToday reported on July 2 that scholars from institutions including Nanjing University argued at a June 30 symposium that Batanes was a natural extension of Taiwan and therefore belonged to China. The report noted that Beijing has not formally endorsed that position.
Addressing reporters, Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro said the episode could reflect an intention behind Chinas wider regional posture. "I view this, once again, as probably a signal of a preconceived intention," he said. "It is not far-fetched to think that this is already part of their plan. And it also validates what we have been saying that they have a plan to control the entire Pacific Ocean."
Teodoro also expressed strong rejection of the academic assertions. "What is this for, right? And we know this is baseless. This is nonsense. It is ludicrous," he said. "So this is concerning, and it is something that must be challenged," he added, without offering further details.
The Chinese embassy in Manila did not immediately reply to a request for comment on Teodoro's remarks.
Batanes, which has a population of about 20,000 people, lies roughly 160 km (100 miles) south of Taiwan along the Luzon Strait, a strategically important channel that connects the South China Sea and the Pacific Ocean. The province has grown in significance within security planning and has hosted joint military exercises involving Philippine and allied U.S. forces.
The defence chief has previously been the target of Chinese sanctions. Beijing earlier sanctioned Teodoro and his close relatives over what it described as "erroneous remarks" made about China.
The scholars' comments follow other diplomatic developments in the region. Weeks earlier, the Philippines and Japan announced in May that they would start formal talks to delimit the maritime boundary of their exclusive economic zones and continental shelves in line with international law, a move that drew criticism from China.
China claims almost the entire South China Sea, which the article notes is a strategic waterway through which more than $3 trillion in trade passes each year, despite a 2016 arbitral ruling that invalidated those claims.
At present, the academic assertions regarding Batanes have not been adopted by Beijing as official policy, but Manila views the episode as a matter of concern and worthy of rebuttal.