"Historically Our Land"... Philippines Outraged by Absurd Claims from Chinese Netizens

Chinese netizens are spreading claims online that the Philippine island of Palawan historically belonged to China, prompting the Philippine government to officially refute these assertions.

On the 5th (local time), according to the Philippine daily Inquirer and Hong Kong media South China Morning Post (SCMP), posts containing such content have appeared on Chinese social networking services (SNS) such as Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, and Xiaohongshu (English name Rednote), known as the "Chinese Instagram," since early this year.

The main content of these posts is that Palawan is Chinese territory named "Zhenghe Island (鄭和島)" after Zheng He (1371?1434), a eunuch and explorer of the Ming Dynasty who led the "Voyages of Zheng He" in the 1400s. One Douyin user posted a video claiming, "Historically, Palawan belongs to China," and added, "The reason we lost (Palawan) is because our power was insufficient," which received nearly 14,000 'likes.'

Palawan Island. Google Maps capture

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Palawan is an island located more than 1,500 km away from Chinese territory. The Chinese government does not claim sovereignty over Palawan. Furthermore, Palawan is not included within the U-shaped nine-dash line area that China has claimed in the South China Sea. Nevertheless, as these claims continue to be shared on Chinese SNS, the Philippine National Historical Commission (NHCP) recently issued a statement clarifying its position. The commission explained, "After reviewing archaeological data, there is no evidence supporting the permanent settlement of Chinese people on Palawan, where humans have continuously inhabited for 50,000 years." The commission also added that the 1521 records of Antonio Pigafetta (1491?1531), who accompanied Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan (1480?1521) on his circumnavigation, contain no record of Chinese settlement on Palawan.

On the previous day, Philippine Navy spokesperson Brigadier General Roy Vincent Trinidad called China's claim over Palawan "completely absurd," stating, "It will never happen that any part of the Philippines becomes sovereign territory of another country." He further said, "These false claims are part of an information war," and added, "In authoritarian countries where SNS and freedom of expression are regulated by the government, anything is possible."

Eduardo A?o, the Philippine National Security Adviser, noted that these claims did not originate from the Chinese government or mainstream Chinese media but pointed out, "This false narrative spread through digital disinformation and information warfare tactics appears to be part of a broad effort to undermine Philippine sovereignty and manipulate public perception in both the Philippines and China."

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