India, Philippines Look to Widen Strategic Partnership Across Defence, Trade and Space
Modi and Marcos Jr reviewed the India-Philippines strategic partnership at the BRICS Summit, with Manila joining the CDRI.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Philippines President Ferdinand R Marcos Jr held wide-ranging talks on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit, a year after the two countries elevated their relationship to a strategic partnership.
During the meeting, Modi welcomed Manila's decision to join the India-led Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure. Marcos Jr, who travelled to New Delhi in August last year, attended the summit in his capacity as current chair of ASEAN. The visit carries weight for India's Act East policy and its Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with the regional bloc.
A statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs said the two leaders expressed satisfaction with the progress of bilateral cooperation and agreed to deepen collaboration in defence and security, trade and investment, space, railway infrastructure, fintech, education, tourism, science and technology, innovation, and people-to-people ties.
In a post on X, Modi said he was delighted to meet Marcos Jr and wished him a happy birthday, adding that the two sides reviewed the growing momentum in the strategic partnership. He listed economic linkages, technology, trade, space, innovation and the creative industry as key focus areas, and said ways to further strengthen India-ASEAN engagement were discussed.
The leaders also exchanged views on regional and global developments of mutual interest and restated their commitment to cooperation across the strategic partnership.
Ties between the two countries have expanded quickly in diplomatic, economic and security domains. A 2022 agreement to supply BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles to the Philippine Navy marked a significant milestone. The two militaries hold regular staff talks for the Army, Navy and Air Force, while bilateral trade has crossed $3 billion, supported by Indian pharmaceutical exports, IT services and agricultural cooperation.
After Marcos Jr's visit last year, the two sides adopted a roadmap for 2025-29 covering military training, staff talks and maritime security cooperation in the Indo-Pacific. Shared concerns over China's territorial assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific and the South China Sea underpin the deepening engagement. India has consistently backed a rules-based maritime order in the South China Sea grounded in international law and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.