South China Sea: Philippines, China abandon joint energy exploration talks
- ‘The president [Duterte] had spoken … oil and gas discussions are terminated completely. Nothing is pending; everything is over,’ Filipino minister said
- The two countries have sparred for decades over maritime sovereignty but pledged in 2018 to jointly explore oil and gas assets in the South China Sea
The Philippines’ outgoing foreign minister said on Thursday that talks over joint energy exploration between his country and China in the South China Sea had been terminated, citing constitutional constraints and issues of sovereignty.
The two countries have sparred for decades over maritime sovereignty and had since 2018 pledged to jointly explore oil and gas assets in the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ), despite China also laying claim to them.
“We got as far as it is constitutionally possible to go. One step forward from where we stood on the edge of the abyss is a drop into constitutional crisis,” Teodoro Locsin said in a speech.
“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.”
It was not clear when the decision was taken. China’s embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to a request for comment.