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The Philippines’ outgoing President Rodrigo Duterte is completely ending talks with China over joint oil exploration in the disputed South China Sea, the archipelago’s Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin said during a speech on Thursday.
The two countries have had differences over maritime sovereignty in the South China Sea, and in 2018 they pledged to jointly explore oil and gas in the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ), on which China is laying a claim. The situation has recently escalated after the Philippines accused China of illegal fishing in the disputed area.
Philippines oil exploration ambitions
“Three years on and we had not achieved our objective of developing oil and gas resources so critical for the Philippines—but not at the price of sovereignty; not even a particle of it,” said Locsin. The top diplomat added that there could have been a potential constitutional crisis if the two countries had tried to go ahead with an agreement.
“Surrender of any portion of Philippine sovereignty is not an option. Not for love; not for money,” Locsin said.
The initiative launched by President Duterte now stands cancelled, and the onus of restarting talks is now on Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who is set to be sworn in soon. China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin during a briefing in Beijing said that they are ready to work with the new government in the Philippines, adding that the discussions had made “important progress.”
Earlier this year, President Duterte during a public address had said that the Philippines had no choice but to go for a joint exploration deal with China to avoid conflict.
“China has been known to intimidate South China Sea claimants conducting energy exploration activities to pressure them into accepting joint development deals, according to critics,” wrote a local newspaper in a report.
The Philippines is heavily dependent on fuel imports and has struggled to find foreign partners to explore offshore oil reserves, all because of China’s claims. Experts had previously said that allowing a joint deal to share energy resources would mean giving away sovereign territory.
