India, Philippines elevate ties amid South China Sea tensions

Amid persistent tensions between China and the Philippines over the South China Sea territorial dispute, India on Tuesday expressed concerns over Chinese aggression in disputed areas, moved to step up defence and space cooperation with the Philippines and agreed to help in developing the Southeast Asian nation's submarine infrastructure.

Despite Beijing’s objections to a joint naval drill between India and the Philippines in the South China Sea, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Ferdinand R Marcos Jr announced the elevation of bilateral ties to a strategic partnership and agreed on a plan of action. The two sides agreed to hold regular parleys between their armies, air forces, navies and coast guards. They also witnessed the signing of a Statement of Intent between the Indian Space Research Organisation and the Philippine Space Agency for cooperation on peaceful uses of outer space.

They also agreed to start negotiations for a preferential trade agreement, in addition to Manila sending a representative to the Information Fusion Centre-Indian Ocean Region, or IFC-IOR, a regional maritime security centre hosted by the Indian Navy.

Modi and Marcos met in New Delhi even as three warships of the Indian Navy — guided-missile destroyer INS Mysore, anti-submarine corvette INS Kiltan and naval tanker INS Shakti — joined the warships of the Philippine Navy for a drill in the South China Sea, where Beijing’s expansive territorial claims have been contested not only by Manila but also the governments of other nations in the region.

“Our strengthening defence ties are a symbol of the deep mutual trust between our two countries. As maritime nations, cooperation in the maritime domain is both natural and essential,” Modi said.

“We will foster naval and coast guard interoperability via port calls, cooperative activities and capacity building in the maritime domain,” said Marcos.

China was not amused by the joint drill. “Disputes over territorial and maritime rights and interests should be resolved through negotiation and consultation by the directly concerned parties, and no third party should intervene,” Guo Jiakun, spokesperson of China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told journalists in Beijing on Tuesday.

The South China Sea is a major waterway, and the sea lanes in this region account for over $3.25 trillion of international trade.