PH, India sign defense, maritime agreements
THE Philippines and India on Tuesday signed 13 bilateral agreements covering defense, maritime security, law enforcement, digital technology, tourism, and outer space — as the two countries elevated their relations into a strategic partnership.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi witnessed the presentation and exchange of new bilateral agreements following their closed-door meeting at Hyderabad House.
Among the agreements signed during the meeting between Marcos and Modi included the strengthening of cooperation between their respective armed forces — the army, and air force as well as their navies.
CLOSER TIES President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi deliver their statements during a joint press conference at Hyberbad House in New Delhi on Aug. 5, 2025. NOEL B. PABALATE/PPA POOL
This comes amid growing security tensions in the West Philippine Sea, where Chinese vessels continue to harass Philippine ships within the country’s exclusive economic zone.
Manila has a territorial dispute with Beijing in the South China Sea while New Delhi has a border row with China over the Himalayas.
At the joint press conference with Marcos, Modi said the strengthening of defense ties was a symbol of deep mutual trust between the nations.
“India and the Philippines are friends by choice and partners by destiny. From the Indian Ocean to the Pacific, we are united by shared values. Ours is not just a friendship of the past. It is a promise to the future,” Modi told Marcos.
“As maritime nations, maritime cooperation between the two countries is both natural and necessary,” he added.
The Indian leader said the two countries have been working together in humanitarian aid, disaster relief, and search and rescue operations.
The Philippines and India recently staged their first joint sail and naval exercises in the disputed South China Sea, a vast, critical waterway that overlaps with the West Philippine Sea and claimed entirely by China.
Modi said the Philippines was an important partner in India’s Act East Policy and “Mahasagar” vision.
“We are committed to peace, security, prosperity and a rules-based order in the Indo-Pacific region. We support freedom of navigation in accordance with international laws,” Modi said.
Marcos said the decision to “level up” the two countries’ defense and security ties aimed at ensuring a free and open Indo-Pacific, a region critical to both countries.
“We agreed to continue leveling up our collaboration and defense and security,” Marcos said during his joint press statement with Modi.
“We recognize India’s influence as a first-responder role in this critical area and we want to work with you for a free and open Indo-Pacific. We both have high stakes in the future of our Indo-Pacific region and in the world,” he added.
Expressing their “shared concerns” in the region, Marcos said the two countries would collaborate for “security and rule of law in the maritime commons, supply chain resilience, food security, countering terrorism, and other traditional and non-traditional threats.” Marcos said he and Modi were satisfied with the “rapid pace” of the Philippines ongoing defense modernization, as well as the expansion of India’s role in the modernization program through the BrahMos project.
The project, which has so far delivered two of the three batches of India-made BrahMos cruise missiles, aims to provide deterrence against any attempt to undermine the Philippines’ sovereignty and sovereign rights, especially in the West Philippine Sea
“We concurred that we should be accompanied with intensified dialogue and exchanges between our defense establishments,” Marcos said, adding that both countries also agreed to establish mechanisms for service-to-service talks, information sharing, and training exchanges among their military organizations.
“We will foster naval and coast guard interoperability via port calls in cooperative activities and capacity building in the maritime domain,” he said.
Marcos also expressed gratitude to Modi for India’s support of the 2016 Arbitral Tribunal Award in the South China Sea, and its adherence to international law, particularly the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
Apart from defense deals, the Philippines and India also signed the declaration on the establishment of strategic partnership; Treatment on mutual legal assistance in criminal matters between their governments; Treaty on transfer of sentenced persons; Program of Cooperation in Science and Technology for the period of 2025-2028; Implementation Program on Tourism Cooperation (2025-2028); Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in the Field of Digital Technologies; Statement of Intent on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space; Terms of Reference for Enhanced Maritime Cooperation, and Cultural Exchange Program.
India is the fifth country with which the Philippines has a strategic partnership, joining the United States, Japan, Australia, and South Korea.
“Today, our relationship enters a new epoch, as Prime Minister Modi and I formally launch the strategic partnership between the Philippines and India. For the Philippines, this is a momentous decision, for we take a very considered path to such elevated partnerships,” Marcos said.
Both leaders also directed their respective economic teams to carefully guide and manage the trade and economic relationship between their countries.
“To this end, we have decided to expedite the work that we are doing to forge a bilateral preferential trade agreement. We looked at leveraging mutual opportunities to boost two-way investment,” he said.
Earlier in the day, Marcos was accorded a ceremonial welcome at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, where he was received by Indian President Droupadi Murmu and Modi.
This marks the second day of Marcos’ five-day state visit to India, his first official trip to the South Asian giant since assuming office in 2022.
On Wednesday, Marcos will hold meetings with business leaders before flying to the city of Bengaluru, India’s tech center, to meet with industry leaders.
Meanwhile, Modi also announced that India will provide free e-visa access to Filipino tourists, reciprocating the Philippines’ visa-free entry for Indian nationals, in a bid to boost people-to- people ties.
Both sides aim to restart direct flights between Manila and Delhi starting October 2025.
Marcos welcomed the move and thanked Modi for the initiative and extended invitation for more Indian tourists to visit the Philippines.
“I thank Prime Minister Modi in turn for the introduction of a scheme to grant visa free of charge to Filipino tourists traveling to India,” he said.
Marcos said the two sides engaged in “far-reaching, productive and forward looking” discussions.
“We expressed satisfaction over the rapid pace of the Philippines’ ongoing defense modernization and the expanding capabilities… of India’s indigenous defense industry as a partner in this undertaking, exemplified by our BrahMos project,” he said.
India is a member of the Quad group, which includes fellow democracies the United States, Japan and Australia.
Beijing has repeatedly alleged that the four-way partnership, first conceived by late Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe, was created as a way of containing China.
Talks also included setting out the terms of reference for the negotiations on a “preferential trade agreement” between Manila and New Delhi.