The Armed Forces of the Philippines has rejected as baseless a claim raised in a China state-sanctioned symposium that Batanes belongs to Beijing because it is supposedly a “geographical extension of Taiwan.”
The AFP said the assertion over the Philippines’ northernmost province is part of a disinformation effort meant to undermine Philippine sovereignty and advance false historical and legal narratives.
“We view this latest disinformation as salami slicing in the information domain. It is the systematic manufacturing of false historical and legal narratives intended to desensitize the international community, gradually alter the status quo and establish a pretext for future expansion,” the AFP said.
The military stressed that Philippine sovereignty over Batanes is settled, clear, and non-negotiable.
“The province of Batanes is an integral part of our republic, protected by international law and entrenched in our historic national boundaries,” the AFP said.
The AFP said it will continue to challenge what it described as foreign malign influence, warning that allowing such claims to spread unchecked could give room for revisionist narratives to take hold.
The military also reaffirmed its commitment to defend the country’s territorial integrity, protect the information space, and maintain maritime domain awareness.
“The AFP remains fully committed to protecting our cognitive domain, maintaining total Maritime Domain Awareness and defending the territorial integrity of the country,” it said.