Amid first bilateral naval exercise, Philippines President to arrive in India tomorrow

With both nations wary of China’s growing hegemony, Philippines President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr will begin his four-day visit to India on August 4. The key visit comes at a time when the two countries have started their first bilateral naval exercise in the South China Sea.

The navies of the two countries began their exercise on Saturday near Scarborough Shoal, an area that has long been a point of friction between the Philippines and China. India has frequently voiced concern over China’s growing interference in the region — an area believed to be rich in resources.

India and Philippines have a defence collaboration, under which New Delhi delivered the first batch of BrahMos missile system to Manila in April last year. Philippines also has the distinction of being the first foreign nation to procure BrahMos missiles from India.

Philippines President Marcos Jr will hold talks with President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Health Minister JP Nadda, as per the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) statement.

The main engagement of the Philippines President will be on August 5, when he will lay a wreath at Raj Ghat, before holding bilateral talks with PM Modi at Hyderabad House. Following his meeting with PM Modi, the two countries are expected to sign several agreements. On August 7, the Philippines President will head to Karnataka.

The diplomatic relations between India and the Philippines were established in November 1949. President Marcos Jr’s state visit coincides with the 75th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic relations, the MEA said.

The MEA statement further said that India’s relations with the Philippines were an integral pillar of its “Act East” policy, Vision MAHASAGAR, and its vision of the Indo-Pacific. The visit is an opportunity for both leaders to set the path for future bilateral cooperation and to engage on regional and international issues of mutual interest, it added.