India backs Philippines on South China Sea feud
India’s plans to expand the defence cooperation with the Philippines amid development in the South China Sea, Jaishankar said: “You need to look at that cooperation on its own merits. It is not necessarily linked to a particular situation.
S Jaishankar with Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. during a meeting, in Manila
MANILA: India firmly supports the Philippines in upholding its national sovereignty and wants to explore new areas of cooperation, including in defence and security, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Tuesday, amid Manila’s maritime dispute with China in the South China Sea.
Jaishankar’s remarks came at a joint press conference with his counterpart Enrique Manalo in Manila after their meeting. Addressing the press conference with Manalo, Jaishankar said: “I take this opportunity to firmly reiterate India’s support to the Philippines for upholding its national sovereignty.”
As the world changes, it is essential that countries like India and the Philippines cooperate more closely to shape the emerging order, he said. Every country has the right to uphold and enforce its national sovereignty, he said in response to a question. “That is something that we have also discussed,” he added.
On a question on India’s plans to expand the defence cooperation with the Philippines amid development in the South China Sea, Jaishankar said: “You need to look at that cooperation on its own merits. It is not necessarily linked to a particular situation.
“But it’s natural today that two countries whose trust and comfort is growing so rapidly that we will look at various new areas of cooperation. And certainly defence and security is one of them,” he said.
China claims most of the South China Sea. The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan have counterclaims.
China has deployed hundreds of coastguard vessels throughout the South China Sea to patrol what it considers its waters, despite a 2016 Permanent Court of Arbitration ruling in a case brought by the Philippines that said the claim had no basis under international laws.
Manalo said the Philippines consistently reaffirmed the need to abide by international law and also for international rules and regulations when it comes to the maritime area. Speaking about Beijing’s recent activities in the South China Sea, he accused China of trying to prevent Philippine ships from supplying its troops.