The Foreign Ministers of India and the Philippines met at the fifth meeting of the Philippines-India Joint Commission on Bilateral Cooperation, in New Delhi, on June 29. Building on the shared interests of the two maritime Asian republics and nearly 75 years of diplomatic history, the External Affairs Minister of India, S. Jaishankar, and the Secretary for Foreign Affairs of the Philippines, Enrique Manalo, outlined the path for a strengthened bilateral partnership between Manila and Delhi in the 21st century.
The South China Sea issue
The decision to open the resident defence attaché office in Manila; boosting cooperation between the Coast Guards of the two countries; acquisition of naval assets by Manila under a concessional line of credit from Delhi; expansion of training and joint exercises on maritime security and disaster responses, and commencing a maritime dialogue are some examples of the evolving strength of this nautical partnership. However, the most notable development was the agreement on regional and multilateral issues, particularly on maritime highways such as the South China Sea. While India reiterated its consistent position on adhering to international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), its unambiguous call to respect the 2016 Arbitral Award on the South China Sea is a departure from India’s earlier position. From ‘noted’ to ‘adherence to the 2016 Arbitral Award’ is a candid recognition of its legitimacy.
