New Delhi, Aug 4 (UNI) Talks between the Philippines and India during President Ferdinand Marcos Jr’s five-day state visit are expected to focus on strengthening bilateral maritime and defence cooperation, amid China’s growing footprint in the seas off the Philippines.
The Philippines President, who is visiting India at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, arrived in the afternoon. He is accompanied by his wife, First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, several Cabinet members and a high-level business delegation. They were welcomed at the Palam Air Force Station by Minister of State for External Affairs Pabitra Margherita, Indian Ambassador Harsh Kumar Jain and other officials.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr will be meeting PM Modi at Hyderabad House tomorrow for bilateral talks.
The visit comes as Indian Navy warships are engaged in joint patrolling parts of the West Philippine Sea (WPS) with the Philippine Navy, for the first time ever.
Indian Navy vessels—guided missile destroyer INS Delhi, anti-submarine warfare corvette INS Kiltan, and fleet tanker INS Shakti—are conducting joint sail with the Philippine Navy’s guided missile frigate BRP Miguel Malvar in the WPS.
The presence of two Chinese warships was monitored during the joint patrol with the Indian navy, an official of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said.
The Philippine vessel detected two People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) ships—a Jiangkai II-class frigate, and a Luyang-class destroyer.
The Jiangkai-class frigate was observed at a distance of 10 nautical miles, while the Luyang-class destroyer was spotted 15 nautical miles away.
Manila has heightened defence cooperation with a range of allies over the past year after a series of clashes in the West Philippine Sea. Beijing claims nearly the entirety of the South China Sea despite an international ruling that its assertion has no legal basis.
The Philippines has also recently purchased BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles from India, a state-of-the-art weapon designed to sink warships.
The two sides are expected to ink around six pacts in areas such as law, culture and technology.
However, all eyes will be on any potential defence agreements.
Before his official engagements begin on Tuesday, Marcos is expected to meet with members of the Filipino community in the city.
Ahead of his India visit, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said in his departure statement, “India has been a long-valued friend of the Philippines. Filipinos and Indians have had mutually beneficial interactions since pre-colonial times.”
“With the Philippines being the oldest constitutional democracy in Asia, and with India being the continent’s largest democracy, our two countries share several core interests, such as our democratic ideals, our respect for basic freedoms, and the preservation of a rules based order in the international arena.”
“There is much potential for cooperation with India that will mutually benefit our peoples. We intend to explore these by charting a plan of cooperation across a broad spectrum of shared interests: from defense, to trade, investment, health, pharmaceuticals, connectivity, agriculture, tourism, and many other areas.”
The MEA spokesperson said in a post on X:
“Mabuhay, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.!
“President @bongbongmarcos has arrived in New Delhi on his first State Visit to India. Received by MoS @PmargheritaBJP and accorded a warm welcome.
“India & Philippines are celebrating 75th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic ties. This visit will lead to further strengthening of India-Philippines relations.”
