On Thursday, Indian External Affairs Minister (EAM) Dr S Jaishankar and the Secretary for Foreign Affairs (SFA) of the Philippines, Enrique A. Manalo, underlined the need for peaceful settlement of disputes and adherence to international law in the South China Sea.
Manalo and Jaishankar co-chaired the 5th Joint Commission on Bilateral Cooperation (JCBC) meeting in New Delhi, where they held discussions on trade, agriculture, fintech, defence, tourism, and education.
Overview
During the meeting, the EAM and the SFA underlined that both countries have a shared interest in a free, open, and inclusive Indo-Pacific region.
“They underlined the need for peaceful settlement of disputes and for adherence to international law, especially the UNCLOS and the 2016 Arbitral Award on the South China Sea in this regard,” the joint statement highlighted.
United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) is the international agreement that defines the rights and responsibilities of nations with respect to their use of the world’s oceans, establishing guidelines for businesses, the environment, and the management of marine natural resources.
In 2013, the Philippines challenged China’s claims of historic rights and other actions in an arbitration case under the UNCLOS. In 2016, the Arbitration Tribunal ruled in favour of the Philippines. The tribunal said that China had violated the Philippines’ sovereign rights in its exclusive economic zone and rejected China’s maritime claims.
The two sides also expressed keen interest to work together on defence cooperation and discussed India’s offer for a concessional Line of Credit to meet the Philippines’ defence requirements.
Honored to meet again @DrSJaishankar & co-chair the 5th PH-India Joint Commission on Bilateral Cooperation.Our wide-ranging discussion sets the ground for realizing the full potential of 🇵🇭 🤝🇮🇳 transformative partnership in the 21st century @DFAPHL @ pic.twitter.com/aDYKiVCxWt
— Enrique A. Manalo 🇵🇭 (@SecManalo) June 29, 2023
Collaboration in UN, ASEAN
In his opening remarks at the event, Jaishankar appreciated the Philippines for participating in the Voice of Global South Summit held in January.
He said that India and the Philippines “are two countries who share so much, who look at global developments and continental developments with so much convergence and who have so many economic complementarities.”
“Both Ministers noted the expanding scope of India-Philippines ties and agreed to work together to further strengthen the bilateral partnership,” a joint statement released after the event read.
The two sides recognised their collaboration in multilateral fora like the UN and ASEAN and underlined their strong convergence on key issues.
Just concluded a productive and comprehensive meeting of the 5th India-Philippines Joint Commission on Bilateral Cooperation with @SecManalo .
— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) June 29, 2023
Our talks covered enhancing contacts and broadening cooperation as we head towards the 75th anniversary of our diplomatic ties.
Our… pic.twitter.com/4bauNOUz96
MoUs on Terrorism, Maritime Cooperation, Ayurveda
India and the Philippines recognised terrorism and transnational crimes as common security threats. They also discussed signing an MoU on Cooperation in Preventing and Combating Terrorism and Transnational Crime.
Noting that the trade between the two countries crossed $3 billion for the first time in 2022-23, the two leaders agreed to commence negotiations on a bilateral Preferential Trade Agreement.
The joint statement read, “[Jaishankar and Manalo] looked forward to the signing of the MoU on Enhanced Maritime Cooperation between the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) and Philippines Coast Guard (PCG).”
The EAM and the SFA recognised health as a priority sector and welcomed the signing of the MoU for Cooperation in Ayurveda in April 2022.
The Philippines and India held the 5th meeting of their Joint Commission on Bilateral Cooperation (JCBC) in New Delhi on 29 June 2023.
— DFA Philippines 🇵🇭 (@DFAPHL) June 29, 2023
Read more at https://t.co/XoG0c29raz#DFAForgingAhead pic.twitter.com/VyG2VNsquA
E-Visa Facility, People-to-People Exchange
At the meeting, the two countries emphasised the need for expanded connectivity and ease of travel to enable the growth of tourism, trade and investment, and people-to-people exchange.
The Indian EAM welcomed the Philippine government’s announcement of e-visas for Indian nationals and noted that India had already extended the e-visa facility to the Philippines.
Manalo was on a 4-day visit to India from 27 to 30 June, during which he also called on Indian Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar.