PH, China hold 1st meeting for oil and gas development in West PH Sea

DFA PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — The governments of the Philippines and China have agreed to “further push forward” communication and coordination on oil and gas development.

In a joint statement on Wednesday, the two governments said it convened the first meeting of the Inter-Governmental Joint Steering Committee on Cooperation on Oil and Gas Development on Monday, October 28, in Beijing.

To recall, the Philippines and China signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in November 2018  for oil and gas exploration in the West Philippine Sea.

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“The committee had a candid, in-depth and friendly exchange on cooperation arrangements under the MOU and agreed to further push forward communication and coordination on oil and gas development, with a view to achieving progress in accordance with the MOU,” the joint statement read.

The Philippine delegation was led by Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for Policy Enrique Manalo while the Chinese delegation was led by Vice Foreign Minister Luo Zhaohui.

Both sides agreed to hold the second meeting of the inter-governmental committee in the Philippines early next year.

In August, President Rodrigo Duterte said he was “okay” with a 60-40 sharing deal with China if the joint exploration will push through.

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/kga

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