Philippines, India hold first joint sail in South China Sea

4/8/2025 19:25

The Philippine and Indian navies have sailed together for the first time in the South China Sea, officials said on Monday, as President Ferdinand Marcos left Manila for New Delhi for a state visit.



The Philippines has conducted "maritime cooperative activities" with foreign navies since late 2023 as part of its push to counter China's expansive claims in the waterway, including joint passages with treaty ally the United States, as well as Japan, Australia, France and Canada.



An Indian official said the passage was in the West Philippine Sea and part of a bilateral exercise with Manila, where its ships arrived on Friday as part of India's outreach to build partnerships in the Indo-Pacific.



Philippine military chief Romeo Brawner said the idea for the two-day joint passage, which started on Sunday and was inside the Philippines' exclusive economic zone, came about when he met his counterpart in India in March.