President Aquino is open to the idea of a Chinese company joining an oil and gas exploration in Recto Bank in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) but says it has to comply with Philippine laws.
The Philippines is taking with caution Chinese Ambassador Ma Keqing’s declaration of Beijing’s openness to a joint exploration for oil and gas in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea), a position more recently reiterated by China’s foreign ministry to show its commitment to a peaceful resolution of the maritime dispute embroiling both countries.
The Philippines and China may forge ahead with the joint exploration of oil and gas reserves in the West Philippine Sea, which the latter calls the South China Sea, even as their leaders continue to squabble over boundaries.
President Benigno Aquino III on Wednesday said the Philippines would defend its right over Recto Bank, where natural gas was discovered recently, as he disclosed other gas finds within the country’s territory.
The 35 mile per gallon by 2020 mandate became law in 2007. While some cars now list more than 40 mpg both in city and highway driving, fuel efficiency has not caught up with rising gas prices. Nowhere else is the pinch felt more than in California, where motorists have to contend with the highest [...]
China has claimed new territory less than 80 kilometers from Palawan province, boosting tensions over the potentially resource-rich region, but the Philippines has dismissed the claim, an official said on Monday.
