China still eyeing joint exploration

China on Wednesday expressed its willingness to continue to work on the joint oil and gas explorations with the Philippines over the South China Sea to meet the energy demand of the two countries.

Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Huang Xilian said they hope that the cooperation between the two countries will continue.

“We hope that we will continue to work on oil and gas in our cooperation. And we hope, we start that negotiation and find out some you know, that’s our solution for the benefits of our two peoples, to meet that need, the energy demand of the Philippines and China,” he said.

He added that the negotiations will restart anytime.

When asked about the termination of the talks last month, Huang said the negotiations between the countries will be turned over to the next administration, currently the Marcos administration.

“My understanding is that the negotiation will be headed over to the next administration. So yeah, that’s what I understand,” he said.

Last month, then-Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. announced that then-President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the termination of the joint exploration talks with China.

“The president had spoken. I carried out his instructions to the letter: Oil and gas discussions are terminated completely. Nothing is pending; everything is over. 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,” Locsin said.

Single inch

He added that the Philippines did not surrender a single inch of the country’s territory.

“We have not surrendered a single inch of territory or a drop of our waters. Not by word or deed have we weakened our right to everything in the West Philippine Sea. Without inviting pity by asking, we achieved an international consensus that right is with us and might cannot ever take it away,” Locsin said.

He added that he affirmed Duterte’s independent foreign policy, where he also drew a blood-red line in the West Philippine Sea.

“I came here on that first day on the job and affirmed the president’s independent foreign policy, “friends to all, enemies to none” had a nice ring to it. But I rephrased it with realism to “friend to friends, enemy to enemies, and the worst enemy to false friends.” We have lost more from faithless friends than open enemies,” he said.

Carpio previously said in an interview that he agreed with Locsin’s decision that if the Philippines went forward with the contract, a constitutional crisis would have arisen.

“China suddenly changes its mind and said, ‘We will continue with the third agreement to finalize everything if the Philippines will agree to remove that first whereas clause,” which says “whereas the oil and gas belong to the Philippines,” and also remove that phrase “the contract shall be governed by Philippine Law,” Carpio said.

He also said that the decision would be also against the 2016 Arbitral ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration that the Philippines won against China.

“That’s the abyss that Secretary Locsin was referring to. We cannot agree to that because that will be unconstitutional, that will be against the constitution because the constitution says, ‘the State must protect its marine wealth within its Exclusive Economic Zone,’ and it’s also against the Arbitral Award which says that Reed Bank belongs to the Philippines because that is within our 200 nautical mile Exclusive Economic Zone,” he said.

Deal breaker

Carpio also urged President Rodrigo Duterte to revoke another deal he entered with Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2016, saying that the incoming Marcos administration will not be burdened by the agreement made by Duterte.

“He (Duterte) allowed the Chinese to fish in our Exclusive

Economic Zone. That’s against the Constitution and as he leaves office, he must declare that agreement of his with Xi Jinping would expire as he leaves office because we don’t want the next administration to be burdened with that agreement between President Duterte and Xi Jinping that the Chinese could fish in our Exclusive Economic Zone,” he said.

Former Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario also lauded the government’s decision to terminate talks with Beijing.

“In doing so, we appreciate Secretary Locsin’s words that “in upholding the rule of law and not of might as the way forward, we’ve held on to UNCLOS and the 2016 arbitral award. They are the twin anchors of the Philippine position on the West Philippine and South China Seas,” he said.

He added that the country will need new energy sources to support the livelihood of our countrymen, saying that the country cannot afford to import its energy requirements from other countries.

Del Rosario previously called for the Marcos administration to appoint energy and foreign affairs officials who are upright and patriotic and having also the talent and skill who have ways to secure new energy sources needed while upholding the country’s sovereign rights.

This month, Marcos appointed Enrique Manalo, a career diplomat as Foreign Affairs Secretary, who also served as acting Secretary from March to May 2017, and Raphael Lotilla as Energy Secretary, who also served in the same position during the Arroyo administration from 2005 to 2007.