India backs PH in upholding sovereignty in South China Sea

India's Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar on Tuesday expressed support for the Philippines in upholding its sovereignty in areas within its territory in the disputed South China Sea, following a dangerous water cannon attack that heavily damaged a Philippine vessel and injured at least three Filipino navy personnel.

At the same time, both India and the Philippines vowed to bolster cooperation in various fields, particularly on defense, security, maritime and economy in the face of growing regional challenges.

At a joint press briefing with Philippine counterpart, Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo, in Manila, Jaishankar underlined the need for a rules-based order in the strategic resource-rich waters being claimed by China nearly in its entirety despite an international tribunal ruling that denigrated such assertion.

"We are convinced that the progress and prosperity of this region Is best served by staunch adherence to a rules-based order, the UNCLOS. It is particularly important in that regard as it is the constitution of the seas. All parties must adhere to it in its entirety both in letter and in spirit. I take this opportunity to firmly reiterate India's support to the Philippines for upholding its national sovereignty," Jaishankar said.

UNCLOS stands for United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea - regarded as the global constitution for the seas signed by 162 nations including Philippines, India and China.  Manila has renamed parts of the South China Sea that falls under its territory as West Philippine Sea.

“As the world changes, it is essential that countries like India and the Philippines cooperate more closely to shape the emerging order," Jaishankar said as he stressed that India is “preparing to step up its engagement with the Philippines.”

India’s position adds an important voice aside from more than 20 Western and Asian countries led by the United States, Japan, and Australia to the Philippines’ stance that the territorial disputes should be resolved peacefully within the framework of the UNCLOS and that the arbitral ruling is final and legally binding.

While in Manila, Jaishankar is also meeting Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro.

‘Strongest protest’

The Philippines on Monday said it filed its “strongest protest” to date against Beijing after a water cannon assault against a wooden Philippine boat carrying food and other provisions to a Filipino outpost in Ayungin Shoal (Second Thomas Shoal).

The Philippines, China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei have been embroiled in years-long territorial disputes over several features in the South China Sea - feared as Asia’s next potential flashpoint for a major armed conflict.

Jaishankar reaffirmed India’s commitment to help boost defense cooperation with the Philippines, adding both sides are looking into various areas that the two countries could work on.

“It's natural today that two countries whose trust and comfort is growing so rapidly that we would look at various new areas of cooperation and certainly defense and security is one of them,” Jaishankar said.

Manalo said the Philippines and India’s partnership has “reached unprecedented levels in its scope and depth” in recent years, noting that there was a “mutual commitment to sustaining the positive momentum of our bilateral relationship.”

During their meeting, Manalo said last weekend’s water cannon assault by the China on a Philippine vessel was among the major issues they discussed.  

“The Philippines and India are staunch advocates of safety at sea, freedom of navigation and adherence to international law, including the 1982 U.N convention on the law of the sea or UNCLOS, as well as the 2016 Arbitral award on the South China Sea. This was evident during my visit New Delhi in June last year and was evident again during our discussions today especially on recent actions of China in the West Philippine Sea,” Manalo said.

With a “shared interest in a free open and inclusive in the Pacific region, Manalo said he and Jaishankar have decided “to accelerate” their two countries maritime cooperation with a planned maritime dialogue to be held in Manila sometime this year.

The talks, he said, would tackle “promising areas for collaboration,” on marine domain awareness, shipping and seafaring, search and rescue, law enforcement and environmental protection.

With regard to defense and security cooperation, Manila cited India’s “important role” in boosting the Philippines defense capability by providing support to the military’s ongoing modernization program.

Under a deal signed with Manila in January 2022, India will be supplying the Philippines with several India-made BrahMos supersonic cruise missile.

Manalo said the Philippines is also looking into strengthening its cooperation with India on other sectors, such as tourism, agriculture, healthcare, finance and technology.

“We are sure that India will continue to be an important partner on the other side of the Indo-Pacific,” Manalo said. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News