Nat’l Security Adviser: China claim on Palawan baseless

FILE: Palawan, One of the Game and Refuge Sanctuaries which was established in 1967 in the Philippines. (Photo By Theglennpalacio/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0)

By Priam Nepomuceno, Philippine News Agency

MANILA – National Security Adviser (NSA) Eduardo Año on Tuesday called Chinese claims that Palawan was historically part of China as “baseless and revisionist.”

“We categorically reject the baseless and revisionist claims circulating on Chinese social media that Palawan was historically part of China and should be returned to it,” Año said in a statement.

The NSA also said the assertions are outright fabrications intended to distort history, deceive the public and challenge the Philippines’ sovereignty over its lawful and internationally recognized territory.

“Palawan has always been and will always remain an integral part of the Republic of the Philippines.

No historical record, legal precedent nor credible evidence support the claim that Palawan was ever under Chinese sovereignty,” he added.

Año said archaeological findings, centuries of indigenous and colonial governance, and internationally binding treaties such as the 1898 Treaty of Paris and the 1900 Treaty of Washington unequivocally establish the Philippines’ ownership of Palawan.

He also added that the claim that Palawan was once named “Zheng He Island” is an outright fabrication with no basis.

“While Admiral Zheng He, a Chinese explorer, visited Southeast Asian waters in the 14th and 15th centuries, there is no historical record that he ever visited Palawan. Even if he did, such visit does not equate to ownership, just as the voyages of other explorers do not alter the sovereignty of nations today,” the NSA said.

He said they are currently tracing the source of the disinformation, which first appeared in Chinese social media app Weibo and Red Note, a short video platform like TikTok.

But the NSA stressed that they do not come from official government sites, nor have they been carried by Chinese mainstream media outlets.

“Nonetheless, these false narratives, proliferated through digital disinformation and information warfare tactics, appear to be part of a broader effort to undermine Philippine sovereignty and manipulate public perception both in the Philippines and China,” he added.

He also said the National Security Council is urging the Filipino people and the international community to remain vigilant against disinformation campaigns and rely on verified historical and legal sources rather than propaganda designed to advance a geopolitical agenda at the expense of truth.