United Against China? India Offers Joint Development, Production Of Defence Equipment To Philippines Amid BrahMos Deal

Amid ongoing border tensions with China, India has extended an invitation to the Philippines to collaborate with its defence sector in the joint development and production of weapons systems.

This comes as New Delhi is supplying BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles to the Philippines.

As tensions rise between China and the Philippines in the South China Sea, marked by Beijing's aggressive strategies, India's defence secretary Giridhar Aramane appreciated the 'Self Reliance Defence Posture Act' of  the Philippines government for modernising its Armed Forces, during the the fifth bilateral joint defence cooperation committee meeting held in Manila on Wednesday.

He highlighted that India has also laid out a similar vision for ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’.

Under this vision, the Indian defence Industry is continuously enhancing its manufacturing capabilities and is exporting equipment to the world, he added.

Philippines’ Senior Undersecretary of Defence, Irineo Cruz Espino, responded by inviting investments in long-term equity partnership towards promoting assured supply chains.

According to a Defence Ministry release, Philippines "acknowledged and appreciated India’s functioning and proven template of defence Industry indigenisation".

"During the meeting, both sides exchanged wide-ranging discussions on bilateral as well as multilateral issues. The co-chairs reviewed the outcomes of third Service-to-Service interactions held on September 10, 2024, and expressed happiness at the overall enhancement in bilateral defence cooperation across all sectors," the Defence Ministry said.

Affirming the commitment to support each other to achieve the goal of self-reliance in defence production, both sides appreciated the operationalisation of White Shipping Information Exchange and opening of defence wing at Embassy of India, Manila in near future.

Earlier this year, India commenced the delivery of three BrahMos anti-ship coastal batteries with a 290-km range to the Philippines, as part of a $375 million deal signed in January 2022.

While welcoming the Philippines as a coordinating country for India in ASEAN’s defence ministers’ meeting-plus, Aramane also discussed ways and means to strengthen cooperation in multilateral forums.

"India and the Philippines have a vigorous and multifaceted relationship which has expanded into several strategic areas, including defence and security," the ministry said.

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