Philippine Supreme Court voids oil exploration pact involving China
The Philippine Supreme Court on Tuesday declared unconstitutional a 2005 pact by China, the Philippines and Vietnam to jointly explore for oil in the disputed South China Sea, a decision that also brings other proposed agreements into doubt.
The decision by 12 of the court's 15 justices voided the Joint Marine Seismic Undertaking agreement by state-owned companies in the three nations, which are among Asian countries locked in decades-long territorial disputes in the busy waterway.
Two justices dissented and one was on leave and did not vote. The court did not immediately make public the full decision and only released highlights in a statement.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who took office in June last year, expressed willingness to revive failed negotiations for joint oil exploration with China in a meeting with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, in Beijing last week.
The court ruled that the 2005 agreement violated the constitution by allowing the state-owned oil companies o