India Wades Into Contested South China Sea on Side of US Ally
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
India will deploy warships to join South China Sea patrols next week in what analysts say is a "clear signal" of support for the Philippines in the U.S. ally's territorial dispute with China.
Newsweek has contacted the Indian Defense Ministry and Philippine armed forces for comment via email.
Why It Matters
In the South China Sea, Beijing's expanding presence within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone has led to confrontations and pushed the U.S. treaty ally to deepen ties with Washington and regional partners, such as Japan and India.
Like the Philippines, India shares long-standing territorial disputes with China. The Sino-Indian border has seen periodic skirmishes for decades, including a deadly clash in the Galwan Valley along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in June 2020.
India is also increasingly vying with China for geopolitical influence in the Asia-Pacific in line with New Delhi's "Act East" policy.
What To Know
Philippine and Indian naval forces will carry out a maritime cooperative activity (MCA) in the Philippines' exclusive economic zone from August 4 to 8, New Delhi Television Ltd. reported over the weekend, citing sources familiar with the matter.
The exercises, the first between the two countries since 2021, is set to commence after an August 2 port visit in Manila by four Indian warships: the guided missile destroyer INS Delhi, survey ship INS Sandhayak, fleet tanker INS Shakti and anti-submarine warfare corvette INS Kiltan.
In this photograph taken on December 15, 2022, the guided missile destroyer Mormugao is seen at the Naval Dockyard in Mumbai on the eve of its commissioning into the Indian Navy.
In this photograph taken on December 15, 2022, the guided missile destroyer Mormugao is seen at the Naval Dockyard in Mumbai on the eve of its commissioning into the Indian Navy.
Indranil Mukherjee/AFP via Getty Images
Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad, a spokesperson for the Philippine navy, told reporters on Tuesday that further details about the operations would be released once the ships had arrived, the Philippine Daily Inquirer reported.
Beijing has not commented on the planned drills but has frequently criticized Manila over similar joint exercises with partners, calling them interference by outside powers in disputes between neighbors.
India has previously expressed support for the Philippines in its maritime dispute with China. Last year, Minister of External Affairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankar reaffirmed "India's support to the Philippines for upholding its national sovereignty."
The two countries have been increasing security ties. Last year, three Indian warships made a port call in the Philippines, which included talks between officials and cross-deck visits.
In 2023, the Philippines became the first foreign country to take delivery of India's BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles as part of its military modernization program.
In April, Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. said the country was set to receive a second batch of the Russia-India-developed missiles.
What People Are Saying
Collin Koh, a senior fellow at the Institute of Defense and Strategic Studies, told Newsweek: "Partners who so far took part in the bilateral and multilateral MCAs are those who have expressed open support for Manila against Beijing's coercive behavior. … If this is the first bilateral MCA between India and the Philippines as designated officially, it sends a clear signal that India is signaling to be overtly supporting the Philippines in the South China Sea row with Beijing."
Chester Cabalza, the president of the Manila-based think tank International Development and Security Cooperation, told the Inquirer: "It truly builds up to the strategic clarity of pan Indo-Pacific strategy where India and the Philippines are sending a strong message to China in the South China Sea."
What Happens Next
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is set to visit India next week to further bolster ties between the two countries.
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