China, Philippines may resume joint energy exploration in South China Sea

China, Philippines may resume joint energy exploration in South China Sea

Beijing, Manila to establish communication mechanism on maritime issues

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL (AA) – China and the Philippines hinted on Wednesday that the two maritime neighbors may resume joint energy exploration in the disputed South China Sea.

The indication came after China’s President Xi Jinping hosted his Philippine counterpart Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in Beijing during the latter’s first state trip outside the Southeast Asian region.

“China will work with the Philippines to continue to properly handle maritime issues through friendly consultation, resume negotiations on oil and gas exploration, promote cooperation on oil and gas exploration in non-disputed areas, and conduct green energy cooperation on photovoltaics, wind power, and new energy vehicles,” Xi told Marcos, according to a transcript released by China’s Foreign Ministry.

A statement released by the Philippines’ presidency said Marcos also mentioned the “continuing negotiation for the joint exploration between China and the Philippines in the South China Sea, which he said is very important to the Philippines.”

“I really hope – I would very much like, as you have suggested, Mr. President, to be able to announce that we are continuing negotiations and that we hope that these negotiations will bear fruit because the pressure upon not only China, not only the Philippines but the rest of the world to move away from the traditional fronts of power,” Marcos told Xi.

The Philippines in June declared an end to negotiations with China on joint energy exploration in the disputed South China Sea.

In 2018, Manila and Beijing signed an agreement to explore oil and gas reserves in the South China Sea, a hotspot of conflicting territorial claims by several countries apart from China and the Philippines.

The deal came two years after the Philippines won a case at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague that invalidated China’s expansive claims over the sea.

In Beijing on Wednesday, the two sides signed around 14 agreements including under Belt and Road cooperation, agriculture, fishery, infrastructure, finance, customs, e-commerce, and tourism.

According to the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Marcos assured Beijing that the Philippines “adheres to the one-China policy” and “it is willing to continue to properly handle maritime issues through friendly consultation, and resume negotiations on oil and gas exploration.”

The Philippine presidency said the two sides agreed to establish a communication mechanism on maritime issues between the Department of Foreign Affairs of the Philippines and the Chinese Foreign Affairs Ministry.

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