Philippines President Ferdinand R Marcos Jr is visiting India from August 4 to 8, 2025, to boost defence partnerships and trade relations between the two countries, especially in light of the Philippines being the first foreign buyer of India's BrahMos missile system, which was delivered starting April 19, 2024.

During this visit, both countries are expected to finalise a defence cooperation arrangement with a focus on maritime security and the maritime domain.

The India-Philippines defence cooperation features strong strategic importance centred on shared security challenges in the Indo-Pacific region, particularly in countering China's assertive presence in the South China Sea.

Both nations emphasise upholding freedom of navigation, territorial integrity, and adherence to international law including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the 2016 arbitral ruling invalidating China's expansive claims.

India and the Philippines have institutionalised their maritime cooperation through multiple initiatives:

1. Regular port calls by Indian Navy ships to the Philippines
2. Repair of vessels for neighbouring Vietnam by the Indian Navy
3. Ongoing hydrographic cooperation between the navies
4. Signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in August 2023 between the Indian Coast Guard and Philippine Coast Guard to enhance cooperation in maritime law enforcement, search and rescue, and pollution response
5. Joint efforts in maritime capacity-building, intelligence sharing, disaster response, and environmental protection under recent government-level maritime dialogues initiated in late 2024

Besides defence, the visit also aims to further expand bilateral trade, which reached US$3.5 billion in 2023-24, and promote tourism, with the Philippines offering visa-free travel to Indian nationals and plans to restart direct flights by late 2025.

The visit underscores a comprehensive strategy to deepen India-Philippines relations with maritime defence cooperation as a pillar, reflecting converging interests in security, economic ties, and regional stability in the Indo-Pacific.

Based On ET News Report