The Philippines is stepping up maritime cooperation with ASEAN and India as Chinese military, coast guard and maritime militia activity intensifies across the South China Sea. Just days after an Asian Defense Ministers’ Meeting (ADMM)-Plus exercise off western Luzon brought together ships from eight countries, Manila hosted the ASEAN-India Maritime Exercise in Subic, with some of the same Philippine and Indian vessels taking part. At the same time, China conducted sea and air drills near Scarborough Shoal and challenged Manila’s legal claims and updated maps of the Kalayaan Islands. Can ASEAN-led exercises and India’s growing naval role translate into meaningful deterrence, or are they still mainly confidence-building tools? In this episode, we examine how the Philippines is building a wider network of maritime partners, what India brings to that strategy and whether these overlapping exercises can help Manila respond more effectively to Chinese pressure at sea.
*Recorded on October 1, 2026 at 4pm Taiwan Standard Time
Host: Rath Wang
Producer: Miguel Yang
Videographer: Celest Kao
Our guests:
Sana Hashmi
- Taiwan-Asia Exchange Foundation Fellow
Renato Cruz de Castro
- De La Salle University Department of International Studies Distinguished Professor
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