Philippines, India conduct joint exercises in South China Sea

[ad_1] Indian and Philippine naval crews sailed collectively for the primary time within the South China Sea, officers mentioned on Monday, certainly one of a number of joint workout routines the Philippine navy has held to counter China’s far-reaching maritime claims.

The 2-day joint sail included three Indian ships. It started on Sunday, a day earlier than Philippine Prime Minister Ferdinand Marcos left for a five-day state go to to New Delhi that may embrace talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Earlier than departing, Marcos lauded the 2 nations’ “shared values” and “steadfastness in upholding worldwide maritime regulation.”

China claims nearly the entire South China Sea, a vital transport route that’s additionally partially claimed by Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam, regardless of a world arbitration court docket in 2016 ruling that its assertions had “no authorized foundation.” Beijing didn't settle for the ruling.

A spokesperson for China’s navy on Monday mentioned that Chinese language ships had performed patrols within the South China Sea throughout the identical interval because the joint workout routines. The spokesperson mentioned these patrols have been “routine,” however mentioned that the joint workout routines “disrupted regional peace and stability.”

<img data-chromatic="ignore" alt="This image released by the Armed Forces of the Philippines on Aug. 4, 2025, shows the joint India-Philippines naval exercise in the South China Sea." class="c-image" loading="lazy" src="https://www.rfa.org/resizer/v2/EQRZKRMWQFCITD3FVXKHJCBMXE.JPEG?auth=f5b0438bc6f7620b97d14971c6db52d1315f771f942b55ab949b13583e5b7f40&width=800&height=534" srcset="https://www.rfa.org/resizer/v2/EQRZKRMWQFCITD3FVXKHJCBMXE.JPEG?auth=f5b0438bc6f7620b97d14971c6db52d1315f771f942b55ab949b13583e5b7f40&width=274&height=182 274w, https://www.rfa.org/resizer/v2/EQRZKRMWQFCITD3FVXKHJCBMXE.JPEG?auth=f5b0438bc6f7620b97d14971c6db52d1315f771f942b55ab949b13583e5b7f40&width=400&height=267 400w, https://www.rfa.org/resizer/v2/EQRZKRMWQFCITD3FVXKHJCBMXE.JPEG?auth=f5b0438bc6f7620b97d14971c6db52d1315f771f942b55ab949b13583e5b7f40&width=768&height=512 768w, https://www.rfa.org/resizer/v2/EQRZKRMWQFCITD3FVXKHJCBMXE.JPEG?auth=f5b0438bc6f7620b97d14971c6db52d1315f771f942b55ab949b13583e5b7f40&width=1024&height=683 1024w, https://www.rfa.org/resizer/v2/EQRZKRMWQFCITD3FVXKHJCBMXE.JPEG?auth=f5b0438bc6f7620b97d14971c6db52d1315f771f942b55ab949b13583e5b7f40&width=1440&height=961 1440w" width="800" height="534"/> philippines-india-south-china-sea This picture launched by the Armed Forces of the Philippines on Aug. 4, 2025, exhibits the joint India-Philippines naval train within the South China Sea. (Armed Forces of the Philippines by way of X) The Philippines has pressed its claims over the disputed waterway in current months, enacting new legal guidelines, pushing for a maritime code of conduct, and contemplating new worldwide lawsuits. Since 2023, it has performed joint workout routines with companions together with the U.S., Japan, Australia, France and Canada.

This yr, Manila and Beijing have expressed their quarrel within the bodily world — with every nation’s coast guard unfurling a flag on a contested sandbank in April — and in our on-line world, jousting over a Google Maps replace labeling a part of the waterway the “West Philippine Sea.”