Indian and Philippine warships have begun their first-ever joint patrols in the disputed South China Sea, according to Manila’s military. The two-day coordinated operation, which started Sunday, involves three Indian Navy vessels and underscores a shared commitment to maintaining freedom of navigation in one of the world’s most strategically vital waterways.
The timing of the patrol coincides with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s official visit to New Delhi, where he is scheduled to hold talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Observers say the move signals deepening ties between the two democracies amid heightened regional tensions with China, which claims nearly the entire South China Sea in defiance of a 2016 international tribunal ruling that found its expansive claims legally baseless.
The Indian Navy’s INS Delhi, a guided-missile destroyer, the anti-submarine warfare corvette INS Kiltan, and fleet tanker INS Shakti arrived in Manila late last week for a port call before joining Philippine naval forces for the joint sail. Lieutenant Colonel John Paul Salgado of the Philippine military confirmed the patrol commenced Sunday afternoon and currently involves at-sea replenishment exercises.
“The visit of the Indian naval ships to the Philippines is a powerful testament to the enduring friendship and growing maritime cooperation between the two countries,” said Indian Ambassador Shri Harsh Kumar Jain during a reception aboard INS Shakti. “It also symbolises our shared commitment to the freedom of navigation and a free, open, and rules-based Indo-Pacific region.”
Philippines Armed Forces Chief General Romeo Brawner Jr. echoed the sentiment, calling the patrol “a clear demonstration of our mutual resolve to safeguard freedom of navigation and uphold the law of the sea.”
“As we stand watch over a region vital to global trade and security, we do not do so in isolation but in partnership with nations who share our values,” he added.
The patrols come as Manila has significantly expanded defense cooperation with multiple allies over the past year, following a string of confrontations with Chinese forces in contested waters. India, for its part, has sought to bolster its influence in the Indo-Pacific through strategic partnerships, especially amid its own border disputes with Beijing in the Himalayas.
President Marcos’ trip to India is expected to yield new bilateral agreements in areas including law, culture, and technology, with defense collaboration seen as a central focus. The Philippines previously purchased BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles from India—one of the fastest in the world, capable of reaching speeds of up to 3,450 km/h (2,140 mph).
India is also a member of the Quad alliance, along with the United States, Japan, and Australia—a coalition often criticized by Beijing as an effort to contain Chinese influence in the region.
As tensions continue to simmer in the South China Sea, the unprecedented joint patrol underscores a shifting balance in regional dynamics and a growing convergence of interests between New Delhi and Manila in upholding international maritime law.
