Chinese Embassy confirmed this regarding the suggestion of an official of the Department of Energy (DOE) on gas and oil exploration in the Philippine sea.
“Our position on joint development of oil and gas with the Philippines remains,” the Chinese Embassy said in a statement.
The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) and the National Task Force on the West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS) have already expressed their desire to have a gas field in the West Philippine Sea similar to the Malampaya Gas Field.
This is also to resolve the harassment of the Chinese Vessels to the RORE team of the BFAR and the Philippine Coast Guard which includes the delivery and resupply of gas and oil to Filipino fishermen in the West Philippine Sea.
It was 2018 when the Philippines and China signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for joint exploration of gas and oil in the country’s waters.
But the agreement was abandoned by the previous administration of former president Rodrigo Duterte.