Philippines President Bongbong Marcos commended India as a sincere friend to the Philippines and expressed anticipation for the further strengthening of bilateral and regional partnerships in the years ahead.
Indian Naval Ship Shivalik mission deployed to the South China Sea and Pacific Ocean, departed for Japan, and is scheduled to participate in Japan India Maritime Exercise (JIMEX) 24 and Exercise Rim of Pacific (RIMPAC-24).
The Shangri-La Dialogue serves as Asia's premier annual defense summit, convening government leaders, senior officials, experts, and business icons to foster cooperation and address regional security challenges.
China's Coast Guard ships have been in the waters surrounding Japanese-controlled islands in the East China Sea for a record 158 days, breaking the previous record established in 2021, reported CNN citing Tokyo's most recent count.
Following the successful inaugural US-Japan-Philippines trilateral summit and joint maritime patrols in the South China Sea in April this year, a new multilateral group, the 'Squad' has emerged - a four-way counterbalance to China amid escalating tensions between China and the Philippines
"The visit demonstrated India's strong ties with the Philippines and its commitment to further deepen the partnership," the Ministry of Defence said in a press release.
Indian Navy ships INS Delhi, INS Shakti and INS Kiltan arrived in Manila, Philippines, to further strengthen the longstanding friendship and maritime cooperation between the two countries.
China said the "military collusion" between the US and Taiwan as well as the "separatist acts" of the "Taiwan independence forces", are the main sources of disruption to the current stability in the Taiwan Straits.
The combat athlete, who previously competed in the Olympic qualifiers before earning two gold medals in three national grappling competitions in 2021, also helped his country win bronze at the Asian Championships in May in the Philippines.
Following the Philippines' call for the expulsion of Beijing's diplomats, China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs warned Manila government and said that "any hasty action" could "potentially harm" the Philippines amid territorial tensions in the South-China Sea, reported by The Manila Times.