|
Abstract There have been two unsuccessful experiences in the “joint development” in oil and gas resources in the South China Sea between China and the Philippines: one was the Tripartite Agreement for Joint Marine Seismic Undertaking (JMSU) signed by China, the Philippines and Vietnam in 2005; the other was the efforts made by Forum Energy and China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) of joint exploration in Liyue Tan in 2012. The crux of the two unsuccessful “joint development” lies in the interference of the United States, the country outside the South China Sea, and the Philippines’s request to China’s acknowledgement of its “sovereignty” over Li Yue Tan (the Reed Bank). Since President Duterte came to power in 2016, he has changed his predecessor Aquino III’s tough approach to China by setting aside the Arbitral Tribunal’s awards and stepping up bilateral contacts with China to improve SinoPhilippine relations. Thus, the two countries reiterated the “joint development” in disputed waters in the South China Sea and set up a bilateral consultation mechanism on disputes over the South China Sea. As a result, the feasibility of “joint development” has been markedly increased.
|
|
Received: 01 March 2018
|
|
|
|
2018, Vol. 26 
