Concerns are growing in the Philippines over Beijing’s intentions towards Batanes, the country’s northernmost province, after a spike in Chinese social media claims and unusual coastguard patrols near the archipelago, with analysts warning these narratives could influence public opinion and complicate Manila’s security calculations.
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On the Chinese platform Douyin, some users have circulated videos alleging Batanes “once belonged to China” based on historical records, while others claimed Manila “illegally occupied” the islands in 1946 during China’s civil war.
Similar posts argue that the 1898 Treaty of Paris excluded Batanes from Philippine territory and invoke the post-war Potsdam Declaration to suggest it “should have been returned to China”.
The online narratives have gained traction alongside unusual activity by the China Coast Guard near Batanes. Earlier this month, three Chinese vessels were tracked patrolling both the eastern and western sides of the archipelago – “a very unusual track”, according to SeaLight director Ray Powell.
Powell said he had not previously observed Chinese ships transiting the Bashi Channel, which separates Batanes from Taiwan.
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Chinese ships collide during clash with Philippine coastguard in contested South China Sea
Chinese ships collide during clash with Philippine coastguard in contested South China Sea
On August 11, tensions escalated further when a China Coast Guard ship and a People’s Liberation Army Navy vessel collided near Scarborough Shoal while attempting to drive away a smaller Philippine Coast Guard craft.