China says ‘committed’ to joint exploration with Philippines in South China Sea

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL (AA) – China has reiterated its “commitment” to exploring ways for “practical” maritime cooperation with the Philippines, including joint exploration.

“China remains committed to properly handling maritime disputes in the South China Sea with countries directly concerned, including the Philippines, through dialogue and consultation, and to actively exploring ways for practical maritime cooperation, including joint exploration,” Wang Wenbin, spokesperson for China’s Foreign Ministry, told a news conference on Wednesday.

Beijing’s statement came after the Philippine Supreme Court on Tuesday declared the country’s 2005-signed tripartite agreement with China and Vietnam for energy exploration in the disputed South China Sea void and unconstitutional.

Wang said the national oil companies from China, the Philippines, and Vietnam had signed the tripartite agreement for joint marine seismic undertaking (JSMU) in the South China Sea in 2005 and conducted joint seismic undertaking in some parts of the South China Sea.

“It was an important step by the three countries to implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DoC) and a useful experiment for maritime cooperation between parties to the South China Sea. It played an important role in promoting stability, cooperation, and development in the region,” Wang added.

The DoC is an agreement on the South China Sea signed by ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) and China in Nov. 2002, marking China's first acceptance of a multilateral agreement on the issue.

The Chinese official said during the Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s recent visit to China, “the two sides agreed to bear in mind the spirit of the memorandum of understanding on cooperation on oil and gas development signed in 2018 and resume discussions on oil and gas development at an early date, building upon the outcomes of the previous talks, with a view to benefiting the two countries and their peoples.”

Filipino Supreme Court had ruled that the JSMU is unconstitutional for “allowing wholly-owned foreign corporations to participate in the exploration of the country's natural resources.”

During Marcos’s state visit to Beijing early this month, China and the Philippines had hinted that the two maritime neighbors may resume joint energy exploration in the disputed South China Sea.

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

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.

The Philippines terminated the deal shortly before former President Rodrigo Duterte's six-year term expired in 2022.