Stratbase rejects joint gas deal with China

An independent think tank is urging the Philippine government to reconsider any plan for joint energy exploration with China in the West Philippine Sea, warning that Beijing has repeatedly shown it is “neither a reliable partner nor a responsible actor.”

In a statement released April 6, 2026, Stratbase Institute said it “firmly rejects” any proposed joint gas exploration agreement between Manila and Beijing, arguing that dealing with a country that has “consistently acted in bad faith is not only unnecessary but ultimately detrimental to the Philippines’ long term national interest.”

The think tank’s position came after the Marcos administration said it was considering joint gas exploration with China, particularly in the western section of the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone, as the country grapples with an energy crisis linked to the Middle East conflict.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said the crisis, triggered by Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz, through which one-fifth of the world’s oil passes, could serve as the “impetus” for the Philippines to “come to an agreement” on joint exploration in disputed areas of the South China Sea.

Stratbase President and CEO Victor “Andres” Manhit said China’s track record should rule out such an arrangement.

“A state that persistently disregards international law and violates Philippine sovereign rights cannot be expected to honor any agreement. Entering into such a partnership would expose the country to unnecessary risk,” Stratbase President and CEO Victor “Andres” Manhit said in a statement.

Manhit said the government should instead pursue “clear and decisive measures,” including the full implementation of President Marcos Jr.’s Executive Order No. 111, which adopted Philippine names for 131 features of the Kalayaan Group of Islands in Palawan province as an exercise of the country’s sovereignty in the West Philippine Sea.

He also called on the Philippines to develop its energy resources through partnerships with “like-minded states and credible Filipino private sector actors with the necessary expertise and capacity.”

The Stratbase statement framed the issue as one that goes beyond fuel supply and into national sovereignty, a recurring fault line in debates over energy development in contested waters.

For Manhit, the pressure created by higher geopolitical risk in global energy markets should not be used to dilute the country’s legal position in the West Philippine Sea.

“But for Manhit, energy security ‘must never come at the expense of sovereignty…No crisis should be used to justify compromising the Philippines’ legal position or ignoring the lived realities of Filipino fisherfolk and frontliners who continue to bear the consequences of China’s actions in the WPS.’”

He added that any discussion of joint energy exploration must be firmly anchored in international law and in the 2016 Arbitral Award, which invalidated China’s sweeping claims over the South China Sea.

That ruling remains central to the Philippines’ legal position in the West Philippine Sea, even as Beijing has repeatedly rejected it and continued to assert its nine-dash line claim.

According to the release, Chinese Coast Guard vessels have often restricted access to areas such as Scarborough Shoal through what Philippine officials have described as “illegal, coercive, and aggressive actions” in the West Philippine Sea.

Manhit also cited several incidents in which China allegedly damaged Philippine assets and endangered Filipino uniformed personnel and civilians as part of what he described as a sustained effort to assert unlawful control over areas that belong to the Philippines under international law.

“These rights are non-negotiable. All resources must remain under full Philippine ownership, control, and supervision. Any arrangement that creates ambiguity or undermines these rights is unacceptable,” he added.