India, Philippines Are Growing Closer Over A Common Cause - China

India is all set to send its first-ever defence attaché to the Philippines. The military attaché is expected to take charge in about three to four months after the final clearance from the Defence Minister's office. A defence or military attaché is part of the diplomatic establishment in the host country and is tasked with tracking military developments in the region. According to a source, the move is in sync with India's geostrategic and geo-economic efforts to shape a narrative in the Indo-Pacific.

China's growing aggression in the Indo-Pacific, especially in the South China Sea, has been a matter of concern for the region, especially for an ASEAN country like the Philippines. China claims most of the South China Sea and uses what it calls the 'nine-dash line' to assert its control over the fish-rich Scarborough Shoal, as well as the Second Thomas Shoal, which has become another point of friction between Manila and Beijing.

In 2016, even though the Philippines won the arbitration proceedings against China, with the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague stating that Beijing's claims in the South China Sea had no basis under international law, China rejected the verdict. 

The defence attaché's role assumes greater significance in the current times as tensions between the Philippines and China rise. The former has accused Beijing of repeated military provocations in the South China Sea over the last few months. On April 13, the Chinese coast guard blocked a Philippine maritime research vessel and its escort just 35 nautical miles from the coast of the island nation. They are also accused of firing water cannons.

China has also been stopping the Philippines' resupply to the Second Thomas Shoal. In the last two resupply missions, Philippine boats were damaged and a few crew members were injured. Calling these attacks illegal, coercive, aggressive, and dangerous, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has stated that his country could take retaliatory measures.

Amidst the friction over the provocations, India made the first delivery of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile to the Philippines this month. The source said the delivery was just the beginning of increased