Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr embarked on a five-day state visit to India in early August, which resulted in the elevation of bilateral relations into a strategic partnership.
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In recent years, the Philippines and India have deepened the institutionalisation of their partnership. While much of this has centred on maritime security, the elevation of ties to a strategic partnership offers scope for more comprehensive collaboration.
Manila and New Delhi share concerns over the uncertainties in the US-China relationship and the increasingly transactional economic policies of US President Donald Trump. On the one hand, the US has been pushing India to halt Russian oil imports, bringing the tariff rate on the country to 50 per cent. On the other hand, Washington has been toning down its competitive approach towards China in pursuit of a trade deal on rare earth exports.
How the US and China recalibrate their ties will affect how other players navigate Indo-Pacific geopolitics. Therefore, it is crucial for India and the Philippines to continue exploring ways to broaden their cooperation. In which areas can the two countries maximise their strategic partnership?
First, the Marcos administration anchors its security partnerships on the recently implemented Comprehensive Archipelagic Defence Concept, which prioritises territorial defence of the archipelago and the security of its surrounding waters, along with the interlinked maritime zones of the Western Pacific. The Philippines thus places great importance on its security partnership with India.
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India has supported the Philippine defence modernisation programme and self-reliant defence posture initiative. While initial defence agreements revolved around exporting systems such as the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile, emphasis must also be placed on defence industrial base cooperation, shipbuilding and joint production.