India elevates ties with Philippines to strategic partnership

India has elevated its bilateral relations with the Philippines to a strategic partnership, signaling deeper defense and security cooperation between the two nations.

The announcement was highlighted during the Forum on Defense Industry Collaboration: Taking the Philippines-India Strategic Partnership Forward held at Dusit Thani Manila in Makati.

Shri Ashish Kansal, a leader in India’s defense industry, said India’s intention to build a transformative partnership with the Philippines has been in place for years.

Kansal noted that over the past decade, security cooperation between the two countries has evolved from symbolic diplomacy to substantive operational engagement. He cited the delivery of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile system, the institutionalization of the Track 1 Maritime Dialogue, increased port calls of Indian naval ships to the Philippines, and the commencement of bilateral maritime exercises as key milestones.

According to Kansal, the elevation of ties reflects a shared vision for a free, open and rules-based Indo-Pacific. He said the current geopolitical climate, marked by grey-zone coercion, maritime contestation and technological competition, calls for a shift from episodic procurement to a sustainable, long-term defense industrial ecosystem.

He added that supply chain vulnerabilities highlight the need to move beyond transactional purchases toward a transformative partnership. By building shared industrial capacity and indigenous resilience, both nations can reduce dependence on unreliable sources and better address the evolving nature of modern warfare.

To bridge the gap between high-level policy and industrial execution, the defense industry seminar aligned India’s Atmanirbhar Bharat (Self-Reliant India) initiative with the Philippines’ Self-Reliant Defense Posture Revitalization Act.

The forum tackled regional security challenges and focused on harnessing emerging technologies, research and development, and the production of indigenous platforms. It also aimed to lay the groundwork for future-ready armed forces through collaboration.

Among its objectives were gaining a deeper understanding of the Philippines’ national security priorities in relation to hybrid threats, identifying specific Indian systems and technologies to support Philippine defense needs, and promoting a co-development and co-production model to strengthen the country’s local defense manufacturing base.

The event also provided a platform for Indian and Filipino private defense firms to explore joint ventures, maintenance, repair and overhaul hubs, and supply chain integration.

Organizers said the goal is to anchor bilateral defense cooperation in co-development, co-production and long-term industrial capacity building, enabling localized manufacturing and deeper defense supply-chain collaboration.