New Delhi: India and the Philippines announced an upgraded strategic partnership on Tuesday (August 5), with particular focus on deepening defence and maritime cooperation, as both countries seek to navigate their security concerns due to China's increasing assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific region.

The announcement followed talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and visiting Philippine President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.

Thirteen agreements were signed, including three in the defence sector.

“We are committed to peace, security, prosperity and a rules-based order in the Indo-Pacific,” Modi said after the meeting. “We support freedom of navigation in accordance with international law.”

President Marcos, on a five-day visit to India, said the two countries had agreed to “continue levelling up our collaboration in defence and security”. India, he noted, would be the fifth strategic partner of the Philippines.

“We recognise India’s influence and first-responder role in this critical area and we want to work with you for a free and open Indo-Pacific,” he said. “We both have high stakes in the future of our Indo-Pacific region and in the world.”

He stated the two countries would collaborate on maritime security, the rule of law, supply chain resilience, food security, counter-terrorism as well as traditional and non-traditional threats.

In a joint statement, the two sides affirmed their “full respect and adherence to international law, particularly on the rights and obligations of states under the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS),” and underscored the importance of unimpeded lawful commerce in international waters.

They also jointly acknowledged the 2016 Arbitral Award on the South China Sea as a “significant milestone and the basis for peacefully resolving disputes in accordance with international law”.

The 2016 award, delivered by a tribunal constituted under UNCLOS, ruled in favour of the Philippines in a case it had brought against China’s maritime claims in the South China Sea. Beijing refused to participate in the proceedings and had rejected the verdict as illegal.

India had for years maintained a neutral stance and merely “noted” the ruling. However, in June 2023, New Delhi shifted its position and for the first time formally backed the award in a joint statement with the Philippines during a high-level visit.

Since then, references to the tribunal award have been included in subsequent joint communiques, even if not highlighted in official remarks by Indian leaders.

In his press remarks, Marcos thanked India for its support of the arbitral ruling and its broader commitment to international law, particularly UNCLOS.

Just before the presidential visit, Indian and Philippine navy ships conducted a joint naval exercise in the South China Sea for the first time.

When asked about the joint exercises, China’s foreign ministry spokesperson said on Tuesday that disputes should be “settled through negotiation and consultation by countries directly concerned, and no third party is in any position to interfere in that”.

Earlier, China’s Ministry of National Defense had called the Philippines as a “source of trouble and danger” and characterised it as “[playing] up to foreign forces to make waves in the South China Sea”.

During a reception on board Indian naval tanker INS Shakti in Manila last week, Philippines Armed Forces chief General Romeo Brawner said the ship’s port call was more than ceremonial. It “sends a powerful signal of solidarity, strength in partnership and the energy of cooperation between two vibrant democracies in the Indo-Pacific,” he said, as per the Associated Press.

Meanwhile, the Filipino president said in Delhi that he and his host were happy with the pace of defence modernisation and mentioned the purchase of BrahMos missiles from India.

India has so far delivered two of the three batches of BrahMos cruise missiles under a deal signed in 2022.

“We concurred that this should be accompanied by intensified dialogue and exchanges between our defence establishments,” Marcos said.

He added that both sides had agreed to set up mechanisms for service-to-service talks, information sharing and training exchanges between the armed forces. He also shared plans to enhance naval and Coast Guard interoperability through more port calls.

P. Kumaran, secretary (east) in the Ministry of External Affairs, told reporters that discussions had also covered submarine cooperation.

“We have been going through discussions for cooperation in developing submarine infrastructure in the Philippines, training facilities, helping them with ship design and naval modernisation, etc,” he said.

Another key outcome of the visit was the decision to begin formal negotiations on a Preferential Trade Agreement between India and the Philippines. Both sides adopted terms of reference to launch talks, with officials hoping to expand economic ties that currently amount to a modest $3.3 billion in bilateral trade.

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