Manila’s Department of Foreign Affairs pushed back hard on Friday against China’s claim of sovereign rights and jurisdiction over waters off Batanes. The dispute flared after the Philippine Coast Guard drove a Chinese research vessel out of that stretch of sea. In a statement, the department said it firmly and strongly rejects the Chinese Embassy’s assertion that China holds such rights over the area. Batanes is the northernmost province of the Philippines, and the waters around it have become a recurring point of friction between the two governments. The coast guard’s decision to chase off the survey ship is what set off this round of claims and counterclaims. Language of this kind from the DFA usually signals that Manila intends to contest the Chinese assertion rather than let it stand. The episode is the latest in a familiar pattern of confrontations involving Chinese vessels near Philippine waters.