India and the Philippines yesterday concluded their first joint naval exercises in the disputed South China Sea, officials from the two nations said, as President Ferdinand Marcos touched down in India for a five-day state visit.
The two-day Maritime Cooperative Activity (MCA) took place inside his country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ), Romeo Brawner Jr., the head of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), told reporters yesterday.
“So far we are seeing good results,” he told reporters at Villamor Air Base, prior to Marcos’ departure for India. “We have met our objectives for the exercise. This is the first time in history that we have a joint sail with the Indian Navy. We are hoping that this cooperation will continue in the future.”
In a statement, the AFP said that the MCA included “a comprehensive series of high-level naval operations aimed at strengthening tactical coordination and joint maritime capability.” These included rendezvous operations, communication checks, air defense exercises, and maneuvering drills.”
“The successful execution of this first bilateral MCA underscores the two nations’ readiness to work together in promoting maritime domain awareness and supporting a peaceful, stable, and secure region,” it stated. “It also lays the groundwork for sustained maritime collaboration in the years ahead.”
Previous reports stated the exercise was set to take place in waters close to Scarborough Shoal, a focal point of the maritime dispute between China and the Philippines, although it is unclear how close it came to the feature. The AFP said that the exercise “spanned strategic waters from Masinloc, Zambales to Cabra Island in Lubang, Occidental Mindoro.”
Three Indian Navy vessels – the guided missile destroyer INS Delhi, tanker INS Shakti and corvette INS Kiltan – took part in the joint sail exercises, while the Philippines deployed two frigates, BRP Miguel Malvar and BRP Jose Rizal.
Brawner said that the joint sail exercise emerged from discussions that he held with Gen. Anil Chauhan, the chief of the Indian Armed Forces, during the Raisina Dialogue 2025 in New Delhi in March and the Shangri-la Dialogue in Singapore in June.
While Brawner said that the exercise “did not experience any untoward incidents,” it was reportedly shadowed by two warships from China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN), said Lt. Col. John Paul Salgado, a spokesperson for the AFP. The maritime cooperative activity, however, “proceeded without interference from the PLA-N vessels,” Salgado said.
According to a report by Radio Free Asia, a spokesperson for China’s military said that Chinese ships had conducted patrols in the South China Sea during the same period as the India-Philippines exercises, adding that the latter “disrupted regional peace and stability.”
The past few years have seen China increase the frequency and intensity of its incursions into the Philippines’ EEZ, which it claims under its expansive “nine-dash line” claim. These have resulted in a number of dangerous high-seas encounters between the two nations’ coast guard vessels, which have pushed the two countries close to conflict.
The exercise was one of several that the Philippine Navy has held with its foreign counterparts since late 2023, in its attempt to push back against China’s expansive claims to the South China Sea. These have included joint patrols and exercises with the United States, Manila’s long-standing security ally, as well as Japan, Australia, France, and Canada.
The exercise concluded the same day that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. arrived in India, where he is on a state visit this week. Marcos said today that his trip was aimed at deepening maritime security cooperation and that he would seek further cooperation on sectors including defense, pharmaceuticals, and agriculture.
As per The Inquirer, Marcos’s itinerary includes a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a courtesy call on Indian President Droupadi Murmu, and discussions with other key Indian officials. He is also scheduled to meet with the Filipino community in New Delhi, and will travel to Bangalore for meetings with Indian business leaders on August 7 and 8.
India’s decision to increase its maritime cooperation with the Philippines was overdetermined, given its shared concerns about China’s growing maritime power, including in the South China Sea. Before departing for India, Marcos said that the two nations were united by “shared values” and “steadfastness in upholding international maritime law.” Last year, India revised its stance on the 2016 South China Sea arbitral ruling, which supported most of the Philippines’ claims and said that China’s maximalist claims have no ruling under international maritime law. Having previously merely acknowledged the ruling, it is now actively calling for adherence to the judgment, which has been dismissed by China’s government.