As President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. recently floated the possibility of a joint oil and gas exploration with China in the West Philippine Sea as the oil crisis continues to cripple Asian nations, with China reacting to it, saying they are open to pursuing it as long as the Philippines shows sincerity, Malacanang Palace said the country and the government is always sincere in their dealings.

“Hindi po kailanman naging hindi sincere ang bansang Pilipinas. Sa lahat ng pagkakataon, sa lahat ng okasyon, ang Pilipinas ay laging sincere sa pakikipag-usap, pakikipagnegosasyon lalung-lalo na sa pamumuno po ni Pangulong Marcos Jr,” Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Claire Castro said in a media briefing in Malacanang.

“Wala po siyang secret deal. So, kung anuman po ang maaaring idulot ng anumang negosasyon, at ito ay magiging maganda para sa Pilipinas, iyan naman po ay hindi tututulan ng Pangulo,” she added.

Castro said that although there has never been a joint exploration, she said that does not mean there will never be in the future.

“So, open din po ang Pilipinas,” she said.

In a statement on Wednesday night, the Chinese Embassy, it said setting aside differences and pursuing joint development is the right path to uphold peace and stability in the South China Sea and deliver benefits to countries in the region and their peoples.

“China and the Philippines have conducted in-depth discussions on joint oil and gas development in disputed waters in the South China Sea and have made positive progress. As long as the Philippine side demonstrates sincerity, China’s door to dialogue and cooperation will remain open,” the Embassy said.

In 2022, erstwhile Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin said the Philippines initiated the termination of oil talks with China after at least three years of negotiations due to constitutional limitations.