Philippines President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. will undertake a state visit to India from August 4 to 8, 2025, at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, marking his first trip to India since assuming office in 2022. The visit, coinciding with the 75th anniversary of India-Philippines diplomatic relations established on November 26, 1949, aims to deepen bilateral cooperation across defense, maritime security, trade, and regional issues, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced.
Marcos, accompanied by First Lady Louise Araneta Marcos, cabinet ministers, senior officials, and business leaders, will hold bilateral talks with PM Modi on August 5 in New Delhi, focusing on strengthening ties under India’s Act East Policy and Vision MAHASAGAR. He will also meet President Droupadi Murmu and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, and engage with the Filipino community and business sector in New Delhi and Bengaluru before departing on August 8. The visit follows a January 2025 courtesy call by Indian Minister Pabitra Margherita to Marcos, signaling intent to elevate ties amid Indo-Pacific geopolitical shifts.
Defense cooperation is a key focus, with the Philippines as the first foreign buyer of India’s BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles, a $375 million deal signed in 2022 and delivered in April 2024 to bolster Manila’s maritime security amid South China Sea tensions with China. Bilateral trade reached $3.5 billion in 2024, up 8.6% from 2023, with India exporting $2.4 billion in goods like pharmaceuticals and vehicles. The 2022 Customs Cooperation Agreement and revived Preferential Trade Agreement talks aim to further boost commerce. Marcos’s 2024 Shangri-La Dialogue speech emphasized collaboration with allies like India, aligning with India’s ASEAN partnership.
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The visit, the first by a Philippine president since Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s in 2007, underscores shared democratic values and cultural ties, boosted by the Philippines’ visa-free entry for Indians (up to 14 days), which spurred a 28% surge in travel searches, per Atlys. Discussions may also cover climate resilience, given both nations’ vulnerability to typhoons, and digital technology cooperation, building on India’s IT expertise. As India eyes a larger Indo-Pacific role, Marcos’s visit could pave the way for joint disaster management and enhanced naval cooperation, reinforcing territorial integrity in contested waters.
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