India, Philippines stage joint sail and naval drill within the disputed South China Sea

India and the Philippines staged joint sail and naval workouts within the disputed South China Sea for the primary time, a high-profile navy deployment that may probably antagonise China. Beijing has separate territorial disputes with the 2 Asian democracies and a long-running regional rivalry with New Delhi.

Armed Forces of the Philippines chief of workers Gen. Romeo Brawner mentioned on Monday (August 4, 2025) the two-day joint naval sail and workouts which started on Sunday (August 3, 2025) have been profitable up to now and expressed hopes that Filipino forces may interact India’s navy in additional joint maneuvers sooner or later.

Asked if Chinese forces carried out any motion in response, Mr. Brawner mentioned with out elaborating that “we didn’t expertise any untoward incident however we have been nonetheless shadowed. We anticipated that already.”

“In previous joint patrols with different international navies, Chinese navy and coast guard ships have saved watch from a distance,” in keeping with the Philippine navy.

China has a longstanding land border dispute with India within the Himalayas, which sparked a monthlong warfare in 1962 and quite a few lethal firefights after.

Separately, Beijing’s expansive claims to just about all the South China Sea, a key international commerce route, has led to tense confrontations with different claimant States, significantly the Philippines and Vietnam. Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan additionally lay claims to components of the contested waters.

Chinese ship runs aground off Philippines-occupied island within the disputed South China Sea

The Philippines has staged naval patrols within the disputed waters with its treaty ally, the United States, and different strategic companions together with Japan, Australia, New Zealand and France to advertise freedom of navigation and overflight and strengthen deterrence in opposition to China.

It has allowed journalists to hitch territorial sea and aerial patrols to witness China’s more and more aggressive actions, scary indignant Chinese reactions.

In response to a query final week about Manila’s plans to construct up navy cooperation, China’s Ministry of National Defence referred to as the Philippines a “troublemaker” that has aligned itself with international forces to fire up bother in what China deems its personal territorial waters. “China by no means wavers in its resolve and can to safeguard nationwide territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and pursuits and can take resolute countermeasures in opposition to any provocations by the Philippine facet,” Defence Ministry spokesperson Col. Zhang Xiaogang mentioned in a information convention.

Philippines President Marcos Jr. to go to India as two sides deepen maritime cooperation

Mr. Brawner mentioned the Philippines has to spice up deterrence to forestall warfare. “The approach to do this is primary, the Armed Forces of the Philippines must be strengthened via modernisation and secondly, we have to companion with like-minded nations and that’s what we’re doing with India,” he mentioned final week.

During a reception on board an Indian navy tanker, the INS Shakti, on Thursday (July 31, 2025), Mr. Brawner mentioned the vessel’s port name in Manila was greater than ceremonial. It “sends a robust sign of solidarity, power in partnership and the vitality of cooperation between two vibrant democracies within the Indo-Pacific,” he mentioned.

Mr. Brawner welcomed the deepening of relations between the 2 Asian nations and “reaffirmed the shared dedication to maritime safety, regional stability and a rules-based worldwide order in one of many world’s most geopolitically delicate areas.”

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos left on Monday for a five-day state go to to India for talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and different high officers to spice up defence, commerce and funding, agriculture, tourism and pharmaceutical business engagements.