Former Philippine president Benigno Aquino slams joint deal on South China Sea, cites different numbers from Duterte government
- President Rodrigo Duterte’s administration has previously said it is open to joint energy exploration on the basis of a 60/40 revenue-sharing formula
- Yet according to the former leader, who is known as a China hawk, Beijing will get the lion’s share in any future deal
Former Philippine President Benigno Aquino, known for his hardline views on China, on Tuesday appeared to contradict the terms of a deal his successor Rodrigo Duterte is making with China, as he sharply criticised plans for joint energy exploration in the disputed South China Sea.
The Duterte administration has previously said it was open to cooperation on the basis of a 60/40 revenue-sharing formula skewed in its favour – yet according to Aquino, it is China that is going to get the lion’s share.
“We used to have a joke in the cabinet in our administration, that China seems to be saying one thing: ‘What is ours is ours, what is yours we share’,” he said at a book launch.
“When I saw the proposal to have joint exploration and … exploit the resources to the tune of 60/40, 60 for the Chinese side, I was wondering if the joke was now a reality. We will share and exploit your resources but we will gain more from this adventure.”
The former leader said it was indefensible to share “what is ours with another entity that gets an even bigger slice of the pie”.