India–Philippines Strategic Partnership (2025–2026): BrahMos, Maritime Cooperation, and the South China Sea
Diplomatic ties between India and the Philippines were established in 1949, and a Treaty of Friendship was signed in 1952, but the relationship was not very intense during these early decades for the next six decades, owing to a number of factors, including geographic separation, competing Cold War affiliations and limited economic integration. The Indian government's Look East policy, now known as Act East since 2014, began to shift India's foreign policy and economic focus to Southeast Asia, whereas increased tensions with China in the South China Sea over the last decade reoriented the Philippines' foreign policy focus toward Asia, which opened the door for greater convergence with India after 2016.
