Celebrating 75 Years of India–Philippines Relations: Diplomacy, Defence, and Development

As India and the Philippines celebrate 75 years of diplomatic ties, the two countries’ partnership is at a turning point, with growing strategic cooperation, defense cooperation, and developmental engagement. Since its founding in 1949, India and the Philippines have developed a strong alliance based on shared democratic values, economic interests, and a shared vision for an inclusive, free, and open Indo-Pacific region. India’s Act East Policy, technological collaboration, space exploration projects, and expanding defense trade all further demonstrate the deepening of ties.

Highlights 

Among other things, agreements on the transfer of sentenced individuals, mutual legal assistance, and cooperation in science, space, and tourism were among the visit’s main highlights.

• India declared that it would fund a pilot project for the Sovereign Data Cloud Infrastructure in the Philippines.
• The Information Fusion Center-Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR) extended an invitation to the Philippines to join.

Important aspects of the relationship between India and the Philippines include

Defense cooperation: the Philippines is the first country to purchase BrahMos missiles outside. Manila hosted the first Track-1 Maritime Dialogue in 2024.

• With the help of the ASEAN-India Free commerce Agreement, bilateral commerce reached $3.5 billion in 2023–2024. Additionally, negotiations for a Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) are still ongoing.
• One of the main recipients of Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) is the Philippines.
• The 2019–2023 Cultural Exchange Program has been extended. Over 70,000 members of the Indian diaspora reside in the Philippines.

Importance of the Growing Strategic Partnership Between India and the Philippines 

Both nations have a vision for the Indo-Pacific that is free, open, and governed by norms; India’s MAHASAGAR Vision places a strong emphasis on the Philippines. Rejecting China’s “Historic rights” under UNCLOS, the 2016 arbitration decision upheld the Philippines’ Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in the South China Sea.

• India’s strategic partnerships provide the Philippines with a reliable balancing partner. The Indian Prime Minister states that “India and the Philippines are friends by choice and partners by destiny.” 
• Both nations desire reforms in global governance to meet issues of the twenty-first century, such as inequality, technology, and climate change. They are bound together by common ideals from the Pacific to the Indian Ocean.

Mains: 

Question: India–Philippines relations have moved beyond traditional diplomacy to embrace strategic cooperation in defence, technology, and regional security. Critically evaluate the trajectory of their bilateral relations in the Indo-Pacific context.

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MCQs:

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Question: Consider the following statements regarding India–Philippines relations:

1. The Philippines was the first foreign buyer of India’s BrahMos missile system.
2. India and the Philippines have signed agreements related to mutual legal assistance and space cooperation.
3. The India–Philippines Cultural Exchange Programme was concluded in 2023 and has not been renewed.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1. 1 and 2 only
2. 2 and 3 only
3. 1 and 3 only
4. 1, 2 and 3

Answer: A

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