U.S. and Philippine military personnel demonstrated the U.S. Marine Corps' "Navy/Marine Expeditionary Fleet Denial System" (NMESIS) anti-ship missile vehicles and equipment during a joint military exercise in Basco, Batanes, Philippines on May 2.
Chinese scholars actually claimed that the Batanes Islands in the Philippines south of Taiwan belong to China! The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) of the United States reported on the 9th that this group of islands about 160 kilometers away from Taiwan is close to the Bashi Strait. It is not only involved in the sovereignty dispute between the Philippines and China, but is also located in a waterway that China may need to control if it wants to impose a naval blockade or siege on Taiwan.
The report pointed out that earlier this year, a group of scholars associated with the Chinese government argued at a seminar in Guangzhou, China that the Batanes Islands are a geographical extension of Taiwan and therefore should belong to China. These scholars also claim that the treaty by which the United States gained control of the Philippines after the Spanish-American War did not include the Batanes. The relevant statement was published in a statement issued by a school at Jinan University in China.
This claim triggered a backlash from the Philippines. The Philippine Defense Secretary criticized the relevant claims as absurd, and the National Historical Commission of the Philippines also provided a detailed refutation. The committee pointed out that the Batanes are part of a continuous shelf extending from Luzon in the northern Philippines; there was no record of Chinese rule when British explorers arrived in the 17th century, and Spain formally claimed sovereignty over the islands in 1783.
Hunter Marston, director of the Southeast Asia Program at the Lowy Institute, an Australian think tank, pointed out that Chinese scholars' statements are increasingly consistent with Beijing's official position. He believes that these statements cannot simply be regarded as the opinions put forward by several scholars. The WSJ report also pointed out that Beijing has used Chinese scholars to question Japan’s sovereignty over the Ryukyu Islands and Diaoyu Islands in the past.
The strategic value of Batanes extends beyond its location. WSJ pointed out that in the past year and a half, the Philippines has discovered many Chinese coast guard ships and ocean survey vessels near the island group. Recently, the Philippine Coast Guard sent large ships and aircraft to the local area to drive away a Chinese marine survey ship supported by a Chinese coast guard ship.
The Philippines stated that the ship was located within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone and was operating there without the Philippines’ permission. The Chinese Embassy in the Philippines claimed that the ship was operating in "waters under China's jurisdiction" and asked the Philippines to stop interfering with China's normal navigation and scientific research activities. Both sides have different opinions on the jurisdiction of relevant sea areas.
The report quoted analysts as saying that China’s claim to sovereignty over the Batanes may provide a basis for Chinese ships to operate east of the first island chain. The first island chain extends from Japan to the Philippines and is regarded as an important defense line for the United States in the Pacific. The report also pointed out that the Chinese Coast Guard stepped up patrols in waters east of Taiwan earlier this year.
The Batanes Islands are located about 160 kilometers southeast of Taiwan, overlooking the Bashi Strait. WSJ pointed out that if China attempts to encircle or blockade Taiwan in a conflict, it may need to control this waterway. The United States has led military exercises in and around the island group, and recently deployed mobile missile systems in the Batanes Islands. These systems can attack Chinese ships in the Bashi Channel from the local area.
The Philippines has also continued to expand its military deployment in the Batanes in recent years, including the opening of a new forward operating base last year. Rommel Jude Ong, a retired Philippine Navy rear admiral and current scholar at the Stratbase Institute, a Manila-based think tank, believes that the Philippines should further strengthen local defense. He said that this may disrupt China's plans to use force against Taiwan, and if it cannot prevent it, it can at least delay related actions.
