Philippine Court Rules Disputed Sea Exploration Deal With China, Vietnam ‘Unconstitutional’

An aerial photo taken through a glass window of a Philippine military plane shows the alleged on-going land reclamation by China on Mischief Reef in the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, west of Palawan, Philippines, on May 11, 2015. Ritchie B. Tongo/Pool/Reuters

The Philippine Supreme Court (SC) ruled on Jan. 10 that the country’s 2005 oil exploration deal with China and Vietnam was unconstitutional for allowing foreign entities to exploit natural resources in Philippine territories in the South China Sea.

The Joint Marine Seismic Undertaking (JMSU) was signed on Mar. 14, 2005, by state-run Philippines National Oil Company, China National Offshore Oil Corporation, and Vietnam Oil and Gas Corporation, covering 55,169 square miles of sea area.