President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said that India is more than willing to help the Philippines in upholding the Southeast Asian country's sovereignty over the West Philippine Sea.

During Indian Minister of External Affairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankar's courtesy call earlier this week, Marcos noted the cooperation between India and the Philippines in addressing the escalating tensions in the disputed waters.

Marcos made the remarks as tensions between China and the Philippines have heightened, notably evidenced by a recent confrontation near Second Thomas Shoal. Manila has lodged complaints against the assertive maneuvers of China's Coast Guard and maritime militias.

"We have many shared interests, primary of, that is to maintain the peace in our areas and so this is a concern now, not only of India or of the Philippines alone, but the entire world," Marcos said.

"So, whatever it is that we can do to make the situation better, in partnership with India, which certainly be an important development for us," Marcos added.

In response, Jaishankar affirmed India's unwavering stance on the South China Sea issue, expressing India's firm support for the 2016 ruling of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which invalidated China's expansive claims over Philippine waters.

Jaishankar said India is 'very resolute' in their position on the South China Sea and honored the validity of the 2016 ruling of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which invalidated China’s claim on the Philippine waters.

The Indian official said their country is more than willing to become a 'charter member' of the Philippines as far as efforts against China’s aggression in the South China Sea are concerned.

He reiterated India's readiness to support the Philippines, regardless of the outcome of international rulings, emphasizing that India is ready to help the Philippines even if the international ruling goes against the latter.

Highlighting India's principled approach to international disputes, Jaishankar emphasized India's readiness to accept impartial judgments.

"So, if you want a country, which says will accept the judgment even if it goes against us, we are a natural candidate. So, we can be on your ship," Jaishankar said.