Philippine Defense Secretary Teodoro rejected as 'baseless' and 'ludicrous' the assertions by Chinese scholars that the northernmost province of Batanes belongs to China, according to a report by BusinessWorld.
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 is part of China. Teodoro called the claim concerning and worthy of challenge.
The defense chief's remarks underscore the Philippines' firm stance on its territorial integrity amid ongoing tensions in the region.