India-Philippines look to deepen defence ties, even as South China Sea finds no mention in Indian readout
The Indian Prime Minister and the President of the Philippines met on the sidelines of the BRICS Leaders' Summit in New Delhi and agreed to expand cooperation in defence and security, trade and investment, space, railway infrastructure, fintech, education, tourism, and science and technology
The official Indian government readout of the meeting did not reference the South China Sea, despite India's evolving support for the Philippines' position in its maritime dispute with China
The Philippines formally joined India's Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) during the visit
The meeting builds on an existing defence relationship anchored in the BrahMos missile transfer and the first bilateral naval exercises conducted in 2025
BrahMos Transfer and India's Defence Export Policy
BrahMos is a supersonic cruise missile jointly developed by India and Russia (BrahMos Aerospace, a joint venture established in 1998), capable of being launched from land, sea, sub-sea and air platforms. In January 2022, India signed a USD 374.96 million contract to supply the Philippines with shore-based anti-ship BrahMos missile batteries — India's first major defence export contract for a complete missile system.
Key Details
- Delivery of the BrahMos launch systems to the Philippines commenced in April 2024
- The deal reflects India's "Buy (Indian)" defence export push under the Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP) 2020 and the government's target to boost defence exports (₹21,083 crore in FY2023-24, with an official ambition of ₹50,000 crore by 2029)
- BrahMos missiles have a range capped at 290 km under India's obligations as a member of the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR, India joined 2016); India has since developed an extended-range variant (BrahMos-ER, ~450+ km) following indigenous seeker development
The BrahMos deal is the anchor of the India-Philippines defence relationship being expanded at this meeting, and reflects India's shift from being primarily an arms importer to a limited defence exporter to strategic partners in Southeast Asia.
South China Sea Dispute and UNCLOS 2016 Arbitration
The South China Sea dispute involves overlapping claims by China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan over islands, reefs and maritime zones, with China asserting historical rights via its "nine-dash line." In 2016, an UNCLOS Annex VII arbitral tribunal (Permanent Court of Arbitration, The Hague) ruled in Philippines v. China that China's nine-dash line claim had no legal basis under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS, 1982); China rejected the ruling and does not recognise it.
Key Details
- UNCLOS (1982) is the international treaty governing maritime zones — territorial sea (12 nm), Exclusive Economic Zone (200 nm), and continental shelf; India ratified UNCLOS in 1995
- India's position on the South China Sea evolved from a historically neutral stance (merely "noting" the 2016 ruling) to explicit backing: in bilateral statements since 2023, India and the Philippines have jointly affirmed "full respect and adherence to international law, particularly UNCLOS," and referred to the 2016 award as "a significant milestone" for peaceful dispute resolution
- India's stated position (reiterated in a joint statement in August 2025) supports freedom of navigation and overflight and peaceful resolution of disputes, without India being a claimant party itself
The current meeting's omission of the South China Sea from the official Indian readout — despite it featuring in the August 2025 joint statement — is notable given India's general trajectory of increasingly explicit rhetorical support for the Philippines' position, an example of how bilateral readouts can vary in framing even as underlying defence cooperation deepens.
Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI)
CDRI is an India-led international coalition of national governments, UN agencies, multilateral development banks, the private sector and academic institutions, working to promote disaster- and climate-resilient infrastructure.
Key Details
- Announced by India at the UN Climate Action Summit, September 2019; headquartered in New Delhi
- Founding members (2019) included Australia, Bhutan, Fiji, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Maldives, Mexico, Mongolia, Rwanda, Sri Lanka and the UK
- The Government of India accorded CDRI the status of an "International Organization" with headquarters-agreement privileges and immunities under the United Nations (Privileges & Immunities) Act, 1947
- CDRI membership has since grown to include dozens of countries, multilateral organisations and a private-sector alliance
The Philippines' entry into CDRI during this visit is an example of India's "soft" multilateral diplomacy — building institutional coalitions headquartered in India — running in parallel with its harder defence-cooperation track with Manila.
- BrahMos-Philippines deal value: USD 374.96 million (signed January 2022); first delivery April 2024
- BrahMos range (MTCR-compliant baseline): 290 km; India joined MTCR in 2016
- 2016 UNCLOS Annex VII arbitral ruling: Philippines v. China, Permanent Court of Arbitration, The Hague
- India ratified UNCLOS: 1995
- First India-Philippines bilateral naval exercises: July-August 2025
- CDRI: announced 2019, HQ New Delhi; Philippines joined September 13, 2026
- Meeting venue: sidelines of the 18th BRICS Summit, New Delhi, September 2026