Philippines President’s India Visit Keenly Watched By Geopolitical Experts

The big news is India and Philippines ties are taking a strategic leap. After a gap of 17 years, the Philippine’s President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, elected in 2022, is on a five-day visit to India. This visit is being dubbed as a landmark diplomatic engagement between Philippines and India. President Marcos India visit coincides with 75th anniversary of Indo-Philippines diplomatic relations, the discussions will revolve around India-Philippine bilateral military defence cooperation particularly BrahMos missiles, training exchanges, regional security, maritime law and shared Indo-Pacific vision and deepening India-Philippine overall relationship with regard to science & technology.  This is because the Philippines is already an integral pillar of New Delhi’s Act East Policy, Vision Mahasagar and the Vision of Indo-Pacific. However, President Marcos’ visit is now being watched with keen interest by geo-political experts. What will be cooked between New Delhi and the Philippines this time? Is it just a symbolic push for further mutual cooperation spread between regional security? The buzz is India would push for Indo-Pacific power dynamics empowering Philippines further through defence cooperation to support New Delhi’s Act East Policy. The Philippine President’s first trip to India is also coinciding with the first planned naval exercise between the two countries in the South China Sea. Ex- Indian Ambassador to Philippines, Amit Dasgupta says India has already secured Philippines trust to become a key dependable pillar in Philippines maritime security by demonstrating its effectiveness in its Brahmos missiles, he indicated that Indian drones could be another attraction for Philippines considering India’s success story at the recent Indo-Pak war.