Jeffrey Ordaniel, a research fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said that the Philippines and China should learn from the Joint Seismic Marine Undertaking (JMSU) between the Philippines, China and Vietnam in 2005. The JMSU was supposed to be a test case for joint exploration of disputed waters, particularly the South China Sea, but it failed. Manila's "secretive diplomacy" at the time meant that there was insufficient public scrutiny prior to the signing of the JMSU, Ordaniel said. "Secret diplomacy could result in unpleasant surprises, and legal challenges in the Philippines," Ordaniel said in his article published by the CSIS on its website. Last month, state-owned Philippine National Oil Company and China National Offshore Oil Corporation signed a deal intending to follow their 2006 agreement on hydrocarbon exploration in the South China Sea.

Source: Philippine Star October 26, 2017 09:22 UTC