Prime Minister and Philippine President Meet at BRICS Summit

Prime Minister Narendra Modi met President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. of the Philippines on Wednesday on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in New Delhi, according to a statement from the Prime Minister's Office (PIB). The encounter took place as India hosts the expanded bloc's gathering of leaders for discussions on global economic cooperation and geopolitical issues.

The bilateral meeting underscores the deepening strategic engagement between New Delhi and Manila amid shifting dynamics in the Indo-Pacific region. Both nations have been expanding defence and maritime security cooperation in recent years, highlighted by the Philippines' acquisition of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile system. The talks on the summit margins provided an opportunity to review the trajectory of that partnership against the backdrop of the broader multilateral agenda.

India is chairing the current BRICS cycle, which has seen the grouping enlarged to include new members from the Middle East and Africa. The summit's focus on reshaping global financial architecture and enhancing South-South cooperation runs parallel to New Delhi's bilateral outreach to key partners in Southeast Asia. The Philippines, a treaty ally of the United States, has been navigating its own course in the South China Sea disputes, making its alignment with India on maritime domain awareness and a rules-based order a point of convergence.

Details of the specific agenda items discussed by Modi and Marcos Jr. were not immediately released. Official readouts are expected to clarify whether the leaders addressed the timeline for further defence deliveries, cooperation in digital public infrastructure, or the situation in the South China Sea.