Philippines’ Secretary for Foreign Affairs Enrique A. Manalo will visit India this week to co-chair the 5th meeting of the Philippines-India Joint Commission on Bilateral Cooperation (JCBC) on 29 June.
Indian External Affairs Minister (EAM) Dr S. Jaishankar, who invited Manalo, will co-chair the meeting with him.
Overview
Manalo will be in India on a four-day visit starting from 27 June. During the JCBC meeting, India and the Philippines will discuss bilateral relations, including “political, defence, security, maritime cooperation, trade & investment, health, tourism, agriculture, financial technology and... regional & multilateral issues of mutual interest.”
The Filipino foreign minister will lead an inter-agency delegation of officials from the departments of foreign affairs, finance, the Philippine Space Agency, the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency, and the Philippine Overseas Construction Board of the Department of Trade and Industry.
Additionally, Manalo is scheduled to deliver the 42nd Sapru House Lecture as a joint project under the MoU signed between the Philippines’ Foreign Service Institute (FIS) and the Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA) in November 2017.
He is also slated to meet Indian Vice President Jagdeep Dhankar during his visit.
‼️READ‼️ Secretary Manalo to Co-Chair 5th Meeting of Philippines-India JCBC in New Delhi
— DFA Philippines 🇵🇭 (@DFAPHL) June 25, 2023
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India-Philippines Relations
Manalo’s visit to New Delhi builds on the positive trajectory of high-level interactions between the two countries in the past six years.
India and the Philippines will celebrate 75 years of diplomatic relations in 2024. The two countries decided to establish the JCBC in 2007, and its first session was held in 2011.
The Philippines has a geostrategic significance for India, with New Delhi seeking newer avenues to counter the growing Chinese influence in the region.
India has conducted a joint naval exercise with the Philippines in the disputed South China Sea. India also engages with the country at different multilateral fora, especially the ASEAN.
The two countries also participated in the ASEAN-India Maritime Exercise in May, when they came face to face with several Chinese ships.
Regarding Manalo’s visit, a statement by the Indian Ministry of External Affairs read, “The visit will provide an opportunity to comprehensively review bilateral relations between India and Philippines and to explore ways to further deepen and strengthen them.”