India's Philippines sign defence deals amid tensions with China in Asia-Pacific
The Philippines and India signed a raft of security deals Tuesday aimed at strengthening strategic ties between the nations as they navigate tensions with China across the Asia-Pacific.
President Ferdinand Marcos, on a five-day visit to India, was accorded a red carpet welcome and honour guard before he met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi.
The leaders agreed deals including bolstering ties between their respective armed forces -- the army, and air force as well as their navies -- with Indian warships currently taking part in patrols of the disputed South China Sea with their Philippine counterparts for the first time.
The Philippines has heightened defence cooperation with a range of allies over the past year after a series of clashes with China in the contested waterway.
"India and the Philippines are friends by choice and partners by destiny," Modi told Marcos in a speech. "From the Indian Ocean to the Pacific, we are untied by shared values."
Marcos' visit follows the Philippines' acquisition of India's BrahMos supersonic cruise missile system -- the first such export by New Delhi -- with deliveries beginning in April under a $375 million deal signed in 2022.
Marcos said the two sides engaged in "far-reaching, productive and forward looking" discussions.
"We expressed satisfaction over the rapid pace of the Philippines' ongoing defence modernisation and the expanding capabilities... of India's indigenous defence industry as a partner in this undertaking, exemplified by our BrahMos project," he said.
India is a member of the Quad group, which includes fellow democracies the United States, Japan and Australia.
Beijing has repeatedly alleged that the four-way partnership, first conceived by late Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe, was created as a way of containing China.
Talks also included setting out the terms of reference for the negotiations on a "preferential trade agreement" between Manila and New Delhi.