India and the Philippines will begin their first bilateral maritime cooperative activity in waters close to the Scarborough Shoal, a focal point of the maritime dispute between Manila and Beijing.
Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr is set to visit India this week to take forward economic and security ties, with the trip coinciding with the first naval exercise between the two countries in the South China Sea.
Marcos, also known as “Bongbong”, will make his first visit to India since becoming president in 2022 during August 4-8, people familiar with the matter said on condition of anonymity. On August 3, India and the Philippines will begin their first “bilateral maritime cooperative activity” in waters close to the Scarborough Shoal, a focal point of the maritime dispute between Manila and Beijing.
Besides holding talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Marcos will deliver a speech on the theme of the Philippines and India as partners for a rules-based order at an event organised by a think tank on August 6.
The people said Marcos’ visit underscores the growing strategic convergence between India and the Philippines, especially in defence and maritime security cooperation. The visit also comes at a time of heightened tensions in the South China Sea, with New Delhi and Manila working to expand military collaboration and strengthen regional security.
The two-day joint naval exercise, for which India is fielding three warships, including a guided missile destroyer and an anti-submarine warfare vessel, will focus on enhancing inter-operability and maritime cooperation, the people said. The Indian warships will also make a port visit ahead of the exercise. The Philippines will deploy two warships for the drills that will be held in waters off several islands claimed by China.
In recent months, China has deployed naval and Coast Guard vessels to deter Philippines warships patrolling the country’s exclusive economic zone around Scarborough Shoal. China has also criticised joint patrols by the Philippines and its partners in the South China Sea, describing it as interference by outside powers.
India has openly expressed its support for the Philippines in the context of the maritime dispute in South China Sea. While India had earlier only acknowledged the Permanent Court of Arbitration’s ruling of 2016 in favour of the Philippines in its territorial dispute with China, it revised its position in 2023, when a joint statement emphasised the need to adhere to the arbitral award. In 2024, external affairs minister S Jaishankar reaffirmed “India’s support to the Philippines for upholding its national sovereignty”.
The Philippines has also emerged as a key buyer of Indian defence hardware. In 2023, it became the first country to take delivery of the BrahMos cruise missile jointly developed by India and Russia, and Filipino officials said in April that Manila is set to receive a second consignment of the missiles.
India’s partnership with the Philippines and other members of Asean with the launch of the “Look East” policy in 1992. The Philippines now is a key pillar in India’s “Act East” policy and vision for the Indo-Pacific.
Modi and Marcos met briefly on the sidelines of the Asean-India Summit in Laos in October 2024. There has also been a regular political dialogue between the two countries. Economic and commercial engagement is an important aspect of bilateral relationship, and two-way trade was worth $3.5 billion in 2023-24.
