India and the Philippines first joint sail and naval exercises in the disputed South China Sea has upset China with Beijing is accusing the Philippines of “rallying an external force” in disputed waters
Philippines President Marcos Jr. is in India, where he will be holding bilateral talks with PM Narendra Modi on issues like defence ties, maritime security, and Indo-Pacific cooperation.
India and the Philippines have staged their first joint sail and naval exercises in the disputed South China Sea.
A day after Philippines President Marcos Jr. landed in India, where he will be holding bilateral talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on issues like defence ties, maritime security, and Indo-Pacific cooperation.
The visit marks a significant step in strengthening India–Philippines bilateral relations.
Joint exercise
The two-day joint military deployment that started Sunday has upset China, which claims nearly the entire key waterway and has separate territorial disputes with the two Asian countries.
The Indian and Philippine navies maritime exercise in the South China Sea drew sharp criticism from Beijing. China accused the Philippines of “rallying an external force” in disputed waters and conducted a maritime patrol of its own in response.
Philippine Chief of Staff Romeo Brawner Jr said the joint sail took place inside his country’s exclusive economic zone. “We did not experience any untoward incidents, but there are still those shadowing us – as we had already expected,” Brawner was quoted as saying, without naming China.
Why is China upset
One is that South China sea, particularly Malacca Strait, is a lifeline for Chinese oil imports and exports Then is the strategic, geopolitical issue
Analysts say “China does not consider it in its interest India getting closer in military or other cooperation with countries surrounding China. China has been trying that with its outreach to countries surrounding India like Pakistan, Bangladesh, Maldives and Sri Lanka.
“Our military cooperation with countries like Phillipines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Myanmar etc can serve as reciprocal pressure point for China in case the pressure is applied on India for example Bangladesh. For example if China ups the ante by supplying some latest generation military equipment to Bangladesh India can do the same through a country like Phillipines”
