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August 15, 2026 | 10:18am
This handout photograph released by Philippine's Office of the Press Secretary and taken on January 4, 2023, shows Philippine's President Ferdinand Marcos Jr (2L) shaking hands with China's President Xi Jinping (2R) during a welcome ceremony at the Great Hall of People in Beijing.
Philippines's Office of the Press Secretary / AFP
MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said talks with China on possible joint oil and gas exploration in the disputed South China Sea are moving forward.
Marcos said the discussions gained more attention after the Philippines declared a national energy emergency, which pushed the government to look for additional sources of oil and gas.
“And where we are now, I think we have moved forward,” Marcos said on Friday, August 14, at a forum organized by the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines.
The two sides are still working on the terms of a possible joint venture or commercial deal, he said.
“I can see the distinct possibility that there will be such joint exploration,” Marcos said.
Marcos did not mention when a deal could be reached, saying the discussions were still ongoing.
“I think the sense that I get is that all parties involved want it to succeed, and that is always a very good sign,” he said.
Marcos also said there is no special arrangement with China on the Philippines’ rotation and resupply missions to the BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal.
“We’re just conducting ourselves, according to the standard practice, the vessels sailing in the West Philippine Sea,” Marcos said.
He added that the Philippines does not need to ask China for permission to conduct the missions.
The Philippines terminated talks with China on a joint energy project in the South China Sea after then-President Rodrigo Duterte ordered an end to the negotiations in 2022.
Marcos revived the discussions in 2023 after meeting Chinese President Xi Jinping. The Department of Foreign Affairs said in March that Manila and Beijing had started initial exchanges on possible oil and gas cooperation.
The talks are taking place amid continuing tensions between Manila and Beijing over the South China Sea.
China claims most of the waterway despite a 2016 international arbitral ruling that found no legal basis for its expansive claims. Chinese and Philippine coast guard vessels have repeatedly faced off in the disputed waters, raising concerns about a possible armed conflict.
The Philippines and China summoned each other’s ambassadors last month following a clash at Ayungin Shoal in the West Philippine Sea. — with a report from Agence France Presse
