India has invited the Philippines to collaborate on the co-development and co-production of military hardware and weapons systems, in line with its ongoing efforts to enhance defense cooperation. Amid rising tensions between the Philippines and China in the South China Sea, both nations have committed to strengthening bilateral defense ties and exploring new opportunities for cooperation, including defense production and multilateral engagements.
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- India has proposed joint development and production of military hardware with the Philippines.
- This offer comes as India is already supplying BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles to the Philippines.
- The proposal was made during the fifth bilateral joint defense cooperation meeting held in Manila.
- India’s defense secretary, Giridhar Aramane, praised the Philippines’ self-reliant defense strategy for modernizing its military.
- The Philippines’ Senior Undersecretary, Irineo Cruz Espino, invited India to invest in long-term equity partnerships for secure supply chains.
- The Philippines appreciated India’s model of defense industry indigenization.
- Both sides discussed a wide range of bilateral and multilateral defense cooperation issues.
- They highlighted progress in service-to-service defense interactions and the exchange of ‘white shipping information.’
- India has already started delivering BrahMos missiles under a $375 million contract with the Philippines.
- The meeting also explored ways to enhance cooperation in multilateral forums like ASEAN.
