Philippines to consult ASEAN on joint China sea oil search

MANILA, July 26, (AFP): The Philippines tried Wednesday to reassure Southeast Asian neighbours about its proposal to partner with Beijing in oil exploration in the disputed South China Sea, promising to consult them on any plans.

President Rodrigo Duterte has softened his predecessor’s policy opposing China’s claims — which expand to nearly the entire sea — causing alarm among neighbouring Southeast Asian countries, which also hold partial claims.

On Monday Duterte said his government was in talks with China over joint drilling for natural resources in the sea, reversing years of tensions.

But Foreign Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano said Wednesday the Philippines would consult its nine fellow Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) members about the proposal.

“It will not be a unilateral action from the Philippines because the premise of the president is peace and stability, and unilateral action by anybody leads to destabilisation,” he told reporters.

“There will also have to be consultations with the whole ASEAN because we want to keep the stability there.”

Duterte, 72, has played down his country’s maritime dispute with China in favour of billions of dollars in trade and investment from Beijing.

He has also refused to use as leverage a UN-backed tribunal’s ruling last year which rejected Beijing’s claims to most of the sea.