The Philippines-India strategic partnership

For 18 months, Oct. 6, 1762 to April 1764, the British briefly occupied Manila and Cavite. The Brits, enemy of France with whom Spain had allied itself, were ousted. But Britain’s Indian soldiers stayed behind and settled in east of Manila, which is why some old-timers of Cainta have tall, dark looks. Bombays.

Two hundred sixty-one years later, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. made a historic five-day state visit to New Delhi, Aug. 4-8. The Philippines and India upgraded their longstanding ties to what they call a strategic partnership.

Strategic means close and long-term; shared values and a common geography, if not destiny; deep if not ancient historic and cultural ties; mutually beneficial and expanded economic ties, trade and technology cooperation; and in a world of increasing instability, rising geopolitical tensions and unpredictable regional disputes, defense, security and military alliances. 

A strategic Philippines-India partnership is crucial, at least on three fronts – military, technology and cyber space, and food. 

India has the world’s best supersonic missiles, the BrahMos. The weapon can be launched from submarines, ships, on land and fighter aircraft. It has three times the speed of sound, a range of 300 kms (it can reach Mischief Reef and Scarborough Shoal in minutes, if not seconds, with China unable to react), and deadly accuracy. In January 2022, the Philippines contracted to buy three batteries worth $375 million. Manila wants to buy more, worth $200 million.

The BrahMos missiles are on top of the Tomahawk missiles the US has parked in northern Philippines.

“We expressed satisfaction over the rapid pace of the Philippines’ ongoing defense modernization and expanding capabilities and footprints of India’s indigenous defense industry as a partner in this undertaking, exemplified by our BrahMos project,” Marcos Jr. said.

Fearful of increasing Chinese aggression in the West Philippine Sea, Manila also wants to buy two submarines, preferably from South Korea. Unknown to many, the Philippines is militarizing, rapidly.

“Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi and I have committed to bring our collaboration to bear on shared concerns: a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific region, 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.

Manila wangled a deal on a sovereign data cloud which should enhance the Philippines’ cyber security infrastructure amid increasing cyber security threats.

India, a global food powerhouse, will sell us ultra-low sugar rice – good for Filipinos, 12 million of whom are senior citizens, many with elevated sugar.

India is the world’s largest in population, fourth largest economy, largest producer of milk and the second largest producer of rice (21.5 percent of global production), wheat, sugarcane, groundnut, vegetables, fruit and cotton. India has among the world’s brightest scientists and most awesome IT.

Manila and New Delhi are working out a preferential trade agreement. Trade between the two countries is not that big, yet, only $3.3 billion.

During Marcos’ India visit, 13 partnership documents were signed, on trade and investments, health and tourism linkups and defense capability between the two countries. 

“Today our relationship entered a new epoch as Prime Minister Modi and I formally launched 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 enthused, after his bilateral meeting with the Indian leader.

A five-year 2025-2029 action plan gives flesh to the strategic partnership declaration. Agreements signed: Terms of reference for staff talks between the Philippine and Indian air forces, armies and navies; treaties on mutual legal assistance in criminal matters and on the transfer of sentenced persons; programs of cooperation on science and technology and tourism; a memorandum of understanding on digital technologies; a statement of intent on peaceful uses of outer space; an agreement for enhanced maritime cooperation between coast guards and a cultural exchange program.

A strategic alliance has four Cs – complementarities, congruence of goals, compatibility and change. In the Indo-Pacific, two Cs can be added – climate change and China.

The United States is the Philippines’ longest and most enduring strategic partnership in Asia.

India is the fifth country with which the Philippines has forged a strategic partnership – after Japan, Vietnam, South Korea and Australia. There is a common thread among these five – political, territorial and security disputes with China, today, the world’s largest military and biggest economy in purchasing power parity.

The US, India, Japan and Australia formed the Quad at the 2017 Manila ASEAN Summit. Amid the COVID pandemic in 2019, South Korea and Vietnam were invited to the Quad Plus meetings.

Asia Pacific is now called the Indo-Pacific – the Indian Ocean, the central and western Pacific Ocean and the seas connecting the two. ASEAN is at the center.

The Indo-Pacific is home to more than half of the world’s people, nearly two-thirds of the world’s economy and seven of the world’s largest militaries. More US soldiers are in the Indo-Pacific than in any region. It supports more than three million American jobs and is the source of nearly $900 billion in foreign direct investment in the US. “In the years ahead, as the region drives as much as two-thirds of global economic growth, its influence will only grow – as will its importance to the US,” says a US government paper. President Trump recognizes the Indo-Pacific as the world’s center of gravity.

The US says China is combining its economic, diplomatic, military and technological might as it pursues a sphere of influence in the Indo-Pacific and seeks to become the world’s most influential power. “The PRC’s coercion and aggression spans the globe, but it is most acute in the Indo-Pacific,” claim the Americans.

The Marcoses love the Indian word “tadhana.” It means history and destiny.

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