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President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. at Kalayaan Hall, Malacañan Palace, on July 29, 2025. Yummie Dingding, PPA pool

Article (news)

Katrina Domingo

ABS-CBN News

<div><br/></div><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/175427553922820250729-marcos-world-bank-PPA01.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. at Kalayaan Hall, Malacañan Palace, on July 29, 2025. Yummie Dingding, PPA pool </span></span></span></div><p>MANILA — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday departed for India, emphasizing the need to forge a “strategic relationship” with the world’s 4th largest economy to ensure the “rules-based order in the international arena.”</p><p>Before boarding his flight to India, Marcos said his administration “will make certain that the vision of a close strategic relationship with India will turn into a reality as soon as possible, as we make our commitments at the highest levels of government and of business.”</p><p>“With the Philippines being the oldest constitutional democracy in Asia, and [India being] our continent’s largest democracy, our two countries share several core interests, such as our democratic ideals, our respect for basic freedoms, and the preservation of a rules-based order in the international arena,” the President said in his departure speech.</p><p>“Our geostrategic position as coastal states that border the busiest international trade routes and critical sea lines of communication in the Indo-Pacific region, our shared interest in protecting the rights and welfare of our international seafarers, our steadfastness in upholding international maritime law, including the UNCLOS, and our unwavering commitment to regional peace and cooperation, serve as a credible foundation of our active and growing maritime cooperation,” he said.</p><p>“I travel to India knowing that our commonalities will lead us to a deeper, broader, and more meaningful bilateral cooperation, both in the immediate future and up to our longer-term horizons, that will ultimately serve [to promote] peace, the stability, and prosperity for our two nations and the wider Indo-Pacific region,” he said.</p><p>Like the Philippines, India is locked in a territorial row with China over territories in the Himalayan region, a conflict which has been punctuated with military faceoffs and skirmishes along the roughly 4,000-km border.</p><p>Prior to Marcos’ state visit, India sent several vessels to the Philippines for <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/8/4/philippine-indian-navies-begin-first-joint-south-china-sea-patrols-1013">joint patrol operations </a>in the West Philippine Sea. This cooperation comes about a year after Manila purchased <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/overseas/12/13/22/china-says-situation-stable-on-india-border-after-reports-of-clashes">BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles from India</a>, a weapon which has a top speed of 3,450 kilometers per hour.</p><p>Aside from defense, Marcos will court Indian entrepreneurs, especially in the health, agriculture and IT sectors, to do business with the Philippines.</p><p>“I will personally lead a business delegation to New Delhi and Bengaluru to meet with the captains of their industries, especially in the IT sector, to explore potential investment opportunities for both sides,” Marcos said.</p><p>“I want this visit to bring concrete benefits to the people, such as more affordable medicine and greater connectivity and food security,” he said.</p><p> “It is incumbent upon us, now more than ever, to maximize the opportunities in trade and investment with the world’s fourth largest economy.”</p><p>The Philippine President’s visit will cap the year-long commemoration of the 75th anniversary of Philippine-Indian diplomatic relations.</p><p>Marcos is expected to return to the country by the end of the week.</p><div><em><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/OG9o_gDqZok?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></em><br/></div>

<p>President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday departed for India, emphasizing the need to forge a “strategic relationship” with the world’s fourtth largest economy to ensure the “rules-based order in the international arena.”</p>

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday departed for India, emphasizing the need to forge a “strategic relationship” with the world’s fourtth largest economy to ensure the “rules-based order in the international arena.”

Marcos leaves for India to forge 'strategic relationship,' court more investments in state visit

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Marcos leaves for India to forge 'strategic relationship,' court more investments in state visit

Katrina Domingo,

ABS-CBN News

Published Aug 04, 2025 10:48 AM PHT

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Updated Aug 04, 2025 11:30 AM PHT

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