THE PHILIPPINES is expected to embark on a new series of talks for jointly exploring the South China Sea for oil and gas, following proposals from Beijing.
When asked about joint exploration activities, Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique A. Manalo said: 鈥淭hey were proposing that we begin talks again on oil and gas.鈥
鈥淚 think we will begin in maybe around six weeks, but as I said at a technical level,鈥 he added.聽鈥淭here鈥檚 no document yet.鈥
Maritime officers from both countries will meet, with discussions likely to revolve around the terms of reference, Mr. Manalo said.
鈥淵ou will probably call it鈥 exploratory or scoping, or setting the scope of the discussion. We鈥檒l see where it goes,鈥 he said.
鈥淒efinitely we鈥檙e open to talks but as I said, we鈥檒l always be guided by the requirements of the Constitution,鈥 he added.
At a House of Representatives hearing last year, Mr. Manalo said China was pushing for a 50-50% or 51-49% division rather than a 60-40% sharing agreement in favor of the Philippines.
It also sought to apply conditions in accordance with Chinese domestic law that were unacceptable to the Philippines.
For these reasons, 鈥渘egotiations ended, and no agreement was reached,鈥 Mr. Manalo said.
The South China Sea is subject to overlapping territorial claims involving China, Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam. 鈥 Alyssa Nicole O. Tan
