New Delhi: As the Indian government prepares the Philippines President Ferdinand Marocos Jr., Manila has expressed interest in buying more defense equipment from India. The defense, security and maritime cooperation are one of the major pillars of the relationship and on Tuesday with trade relations in Market’s bilateral connection agenda with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.Next to the President’s visit, the Philippines’ Armed Forces (AFP) head, Romeo Bravan, said that the Philippines wanted to buy more arms systems from India citing the quality and strength of Indian defense equipment. Talking about the ongoing delivery of Brahmos cruise missiles for Manila, Bravan also said that two sets of India-Russia jointly developed missile systems would arrive in the Philippines over the next few years. The Philippines maritime controversy in the South China Sea (SCS), or what Manila has called the West Philippine Sea, has seen it increasing the defense cooperation with countries such as India and Japan to blunt Chinese aggression and ensure peace and stability in water.India will join the Philippines for a joint patrolling in the South China Sea this week. Amidst its own border tension with China, Bharat joined Manila in 2023, clearly asked China to follow a 2016’s Mention Tribunal Award, which denied the claims of Beijing’s expansion on SCS Waters. Modi and Marcos are also expected to discuss India’s offer for the concession line of credit for the defense requirements of the Philippines, the acquisition of the Navy, and the training on maritime security and the extending of joint exercises. According to Manila, six agreements are expected to be signed in many fields such as science and technology, law and culture.However, the Modi-Markos meeting takes place in the midst of efforts to rebuild its relationship by both India and China and it will be interesting to see how much the South China Sea can play the issue in the meeting. During the recent visit of Marcos to the US, President Donald Trump allegedly told him that he would have no objection if Manila meets China.The two countries will also discuss efforts to increase trade relations, as they both want to conclude a bilateral trade deal with the US to avoid getting trapped in the cross hair of Trump’s trade war. While the US President has announced 25% tariff on imports from India, he slapped Manila with 19% levy.For the first time in 2022-2023, bilateral trade crossed $ 3 billion and both sides agreed to initiate dialogue for bilateral preferential trade agreement.According to the Ministry of External Affairs (Mea), development cooperation is another important aspect of bilateral relations. “India is implementing six quick impact projects (QIPS) in agriculture, disaster risk reduction and management, health care and livelihood support, in the Philippines, in the Philippines, under an MoU on Indian grant aid for implementation of QIPS, signed on 7 February, 2023,” said an official.
