NEW DELHI: As Philippine President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr. set foot on Indian soil on Monday, August 4, 2025, for his first-ever State Visit to New Delhi, the red carpets, cultural pageantry, and military honours extended to him marked more than ceremonial protocol. This visit is not merely a diplomatic milestone, it signals the transformation of a relationship long defined by cordiality into one that promises strategic depth, economic dynamism, and regional leadership. Seventy-five years after the establishment of formal diplomatic relations in November 1949, India and the Philippines are poised to forge a 21st-century alliance grounded in shared democratic values, mutual security interests, and a common vision for the Indo-Pacific.
The historical context of India–Philippines ties predates diplomatic recognition. Maritime trade, cultural exchanges, and civilizational linkages stretch back centuries, long before modern borders or nation-states. Both countries emerged from colonial rule to become thriving democracies, regional anchors in their respective subregions. Yet, for much of the past seven decades, the partnership remained under-leveraged, limited trade volumes, infrequent people-to-people contact, and only modest strategic dialogue defined bilateral ties.
But today, that is changing and rapidly so. The global strategic environment, particularly in the Indo-Pacific, is undergoing a seismic recalibration. China’s increasingly assertive behaviour in the South China Sea, disregard for international maritime law, and aggressive power projection have pushed several regional players to reassess their security partnerships. For the Philippines, China’s encroachments represent an immediate and existential maritime concern. For India, the broader challenge of Chinese unilateralism from the Himalayas to the high seas—has only intensified its outreach to like-minded nations.
India’s Act East Policy has matured from rhetoric to reality, and the Philippines now figures as a central pillar in that vision. The recent India–Philippines joint naval sail in the South China Sea, conducted from August 3–4, 2025, marked a significant first. The presence of Indian and Philippine naval vessels operating together in a contested and sensitive maritime zone was far more than symbolic, it was a deliberate message of resolve. According to Philippine military officials, the naval exercise was closely monitored, if not shadowed, by Chinese vessels. That, in itself, underscored the importance and risk of such coordinated maritime activity in asserting freedom of navigation and reinforcing a rules-based order.
India’s growing defense cooperation with the Philippines further substantiates this shift from passive diplomacy to proactive engagement. The Philippines’ procurement of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile system marked a historic first in Indian defense exports. Now, discussions on co-development, joint production, and deeper technology transfers in defense are under way. Institutional mechanisms like the Joint Defense Industry and Logistics Committee (JDILC) have emerged, enabling structured engagement in maritime domain awareness, capacity-building, and logistics. India’s commitment to training Philippine military personnel, offering disaster relief expertise, and sharing real-time strategic data points to a maturing, multifaceted security alliance.
External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar captured the tone of this moment when he met President Marcos upon his arrival in New Delhi. Posting on social media, he remarked, “Delighted to call on the Philippines President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos this evening in Delhi at the start of his State Visit. Confident that his talks with PM Modi tomorrow (on Tuesday), will significantly deepen our bilateral partnership.” His words reflect New Delhi’s calibrated optimism a recognition that this visit is a crucial inflection point.
Yet the India–Philippines story is not only about security cooperation, it is increasingly about economic synergy and technological collaboration. Despite low bilateral trade relative to potential, the sectors of convergence are expanding. India is already a trusted supplier of pharmaceuticals, rice, IT services, and digital solutions to the Philippines. Visa liberalisation, easier business mobility, and greater private sector engagement are now policy priorities. The Philippines, facing its own infrastructure and digital transformation challenges, stands to gain from India’s experience in building scalable, inclusive digital public infrastructure.
President Marcos’s visit to Bengaluru, India’s tech capital is testament to this shared ambition. The potential collaboration in fintech, digital governance, agri-tech, and cybersecurity represents a frontier that extends well beyond traditional trade. India offers an alternative development model to Southeast Asian economies—one that fuses democracy, scale, and technological frugality. For Manila, access to Indian innovation opens a strategic hedge not just against overdependence on China, but also against Western tech monopolies.
This State Visit is also unique in its forward-looking agenda. It seeks not only to formalise immediate deals at least six MoUs are expected to be signed on August 5, covering defense, science and technology, culture, legal cooperation, and logistics, but to set the tone for the next 25 years of bilateral relations. As both nations align their foreign policy frameworks with multipolarity and resilience, they are also converging on values-based diplomacy. Democratic governance, pluralism, and a rules-based international order are not abstract ideals for India and the Philippines, they are lived realities and geopolitical imperatives.
Moreover, Manila is emerging as a key ASEAN interlocutor for New Delhi, a bridge that could enable deeper ASEAN–India synergy on everything from maritime security to climate diplomacy. This layered connectivity geographic, strategic, normative, positions India and the Philippines to co-author a new chapter in Indo-Pacific regionalism, one that is inclusive, democratic, and stable.
In an era of global flux and regional fragility, the India–Philippines partnership offers a stabilising countercurrent. It is not a partnership of containment but of construction focused on co-developing institutions, norms, and capabilities suited for 21st-century challenges. The real test, however, lies beyond signed agreements. It lies in sustained political will, regular high-level consultations, shared investments in human capital and innovation, and the courage to confront shared threats with coordinated strategy.
As President Marcos’s visit continues and his dialogue with Prime Minister Modi unfolds, it is clear that the old script of bilateral inertia is being replaced by a new narrative, one of dynamism, trust, and shared ambition. India and the Philippines are no longer distant democracies with polite ties. They are now partners in purpose navigating shared seas toward a shared future.
— Dr. Shahid Siddiqui; Follow via X @shahidsiddiqui
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