India and the Philippines completed their first joint naval exercises in the contested South China Sea, expanding a defense relationship between two countries that each have longstanding disputes with China. Philippine military chief General Romeo Brawner said the two-day joint sail began on August 3 and concluded successfully, adding that Manila hoped to hold more exercises with India's armed forces.
The activity took place during a prominent Indian naval visit to the Philippines. Photographs provided by the Philippine military showed crews aboard the frigate BRP Jose Rizal rehearsing torpedo-launcher procedures, planning a simulated replenishment at sea and conducting communications drills. Indian ships in Manila included the guided-missile destroyer INS Delhi, the tanker INS Shakti and the survey ship INS Sandhayak. Two Philippine frigates participated in the sail.
Chinese forces watched the exercise but did not disrupt it, according to Brawner. The Philippine military said two Chinese naval vessels, one of them a guided-missile destroyer, were observed roughly 25 nautical miles, or 46 kilometers, from one of the Philippine frigates on August 3. Brawner said Philippine forces had expected to be shadowed and reported no untoward incident.
China's Southern Theater Command said it conducted routine patrols in the South China Sea on August 3 and 4. Without naming India, the command accused the Philippines of involving outside states in joint patrols that undermined peace and stability. China's Foreign Ministry said territorial disputes should be handled by the states directly involved, without third-party participation.
Beijing claims nearly the entire South China Sea, a major shipping route also subject to claims by the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan. China and India separately share a disputed Himalayan border, where their rivalry has produced war and later deadly confrontations. Those parallel disputes gave the drill significance beyond routine seamanship.
The Philippines has increasingly trained and patrolled with security partners including the United States, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and France. Brawner said stronger national forces and cooperation with like-minded countries were both necessary to deter conflict. At a reception aboard INS Shakti, he presented India's port call as a sign of solidarity and a shared commitment to maritime security and a rules-based regional order.
The exercise coincided with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s departure for a five-day state visit to India. His agenda included talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on defense, trade, investment, agriculture, tourism and pharmaceuticals, placing the naval deployment within a broader effort to deepen bilateral ties. The supplied evidence did not report weapons fire, casualties or a direct confrontation during the exercise. Its immediate outcome was therefore operational coordination and political signaling, rather than a combat encounter.
