New Delhi: On the one hand, the relations between India (India) and America (America) are becoming close, on the other hand, the concern of China (China) is constantly increasing. Because now the foreign minister of the Philippines (Philippines) has announced that he wants to develop a strong defense alliance with India. is In fact, the Philippines is an enemy of China and wants to strengthen its security with the help of India. On this issue, the Philippines has also said that it hopes to buy military equipment from India as well. However, this statement by Philippine Foreign Minister Manalo comes at a time when concerns are being expressed over China’s increasing military aggression in the South China Sea.
Repeatedly challenged China’s presence- Philippine Foreign Minister
Addressing a program ahead of his meeting with Foreign Minister S Jaishankar, Manalo said the Philippines has repeatedly challenged China’s presence in its country’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in the South China Sea and will continue to do so. Manalo, who is on a four-day visit to India, further said that the 10 ASEAN (Association of South East Asian Nations) countries and China are working on drafting a code of conduct for the South China Sea, but they are not sure of its positive outcome. . In his address at the lecture program of the Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA), the foreign minister of the Philippines said that the purpose of drafting this code is to prevent any kind of military conflict in the South China Sea.
Philippines to buy military equipment from India
Responding to a question about the purchase of military equipment from India, the foreign minister of the Philippines said that we want to develop a very strong defense cooperation arrangement with India. We went over some potential deals and I think we’re looking forward to more deals. I am not talking about the distant future but the near future. He further said that the biggest challenge in his country’s relationship with China is China’s presence in the Philippines’ Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). The foreign minister said, “We have regularly expressed our concerns to China but at the same time we want to say that these differences are not the root of our relations with China.
Have dealt with India earlier too
Foreign Secretary Enrique A. Manalo described the Philippines as India’s key partner and said Manila wanted to expand bilateral cooperation in the areas of maritime security, cyber-terrorism, education, health care and climate technologies. India and the Philippines have growing defense and security ties. In January last year, the Philippines signed a USD 375 million deal with India to buy three batteries of BrahMos cruise missiles.
