The Philippines must find a way to explore oil and gas in the South China Sea even without an agreement with China, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said Thursday, stressing his country’s right to exploit energy reserves. in the disputed waterway.
“It’s a big thing for us, that’s why we have to fight (for what’s ours) and take advantage if there’s really oil there,” Marcos told reporters.
Talks on joint energy exploration between Manila and Beijing in the South China Sea have broken down, the previous government said in June, citing constitutional constraints and sovereignty issues.
“It’s the roadblock, it’s hard to see how we can solve this. I think there could be other ways so it doesn’t have to be G-to-G (government to government) said Marcos.
The Chinese Embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Marcos’ remarks came after his foreign secretary said in August that Manila was open to further talks with China on oil and gas exploration and that a deal with China or any other country must be consistent. Philippine laws.
The Philippines relies heavily on imported fuel for its energy needs, making it vulnerable to supply shocks and rising oil prices, which have helped push inflation to a nearly 14-year high.
During a three-day visit last week, US Vice President Kamala Harris affirmed US defense commitments to the Philippines and reiterated support for a 2016 arbitration ruling that invalidated Beijing’s sweeping claims on the South China Sea.
The ruling, which China has refused to acknowledge, states that the Philippines has sovereign rights to exploit energy reserves within its 200-mile (321-kilometre) exclusive economic zone.
Marcos said on Thursday ‘we will have something more concrete’ to announce by early next year regarding US proposals to access military bases in the Philippines under the enhanced defense cooperation agreement. of 2014. Washington has proposed adding more sites to the current five under EDCA, which allows rotation of US military ships and aircraft at mutually agreed bases.
Philippine company PXP Energy Corp, which holds an exploration license in the disputed Reed Bank, has been in talks with China National Offshore Oil Corp about a joint venture. But the conflicting demands of Manila and Beijing have prevented it from undertaking new drilling and reaching an agreement with CNOOC.
