India Backs Philippines in Upholding Maritime Sovereignty Amid China Tensions

India has expressed its support for the Philippines’ national sovereignty and called for “staunch adherence” to the rules-based order amid China’s ongoing aggression in the disputed South China Sea. “We are strongly supportive of ASEAN’s centrality, cohesion and unity,” Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said in a joint press conference with his Philippine counterpart Enrique Manalo in Manila on March 26. Mr. Jaishankar called on all parties involved in the maritime territorial dispute to abide by international law, particularly the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). “All parties must adhere to it in its entirety, both in letter and in spirit,” he said. “I take this opportunity to firmly reiterate India’s support to the Philippines for upholding its national sovereignty.”...