PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte is open to a joint exploration in the disputed West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) not only with China but also with other “foreign entities,” Malacanang said on Thursday. “The President is open to possible cooperation with foreign entities in exploring and extracting mineral and gas resources in the West Philippine Sea,” Abella said. Abella, however, said any joint exploration deal over the South China Sea must not violate the Philippine Constitution. “When they start to excavate the gas and all, I tell you, it’s going to be just like a joint venture. The Philippines has maintained a “non-adversarial” approach in addressing the conflict in resource-rich South China Sea with China, even after the international court ruled in favor of the Philippine government.

Source: Manila Times August 17, 2017 06:11 UTC