India and the Philippines on Friday vowed to work jointly towards ensuring a rules-based order in critical sea lanes against the backdrop of China's growing military muscle-flexing in the South China Sea. The ways to bolster bilateral naval ties figured prominently at the inaugural India-Philippines Maritime Dialogue held in Manila.

There have been growing global concerns over China's sweeping claims of sovereignty over all of the South China Sea, a huge source of hydrocarbons. Several countries in the region including Vietnam, the Philippines and Brunei, have counterclaims. "During the dialogue, the two sides exchanged perspectives on prevailing maritime challenges and discussed ways to enhance maritime cooperation in furthering a conducive environment for mutual growth and global well-being," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.

MEA said the two sides laid emphasis on "adherence to a rules-based order, especially the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, and explored cooperation initiatives in the maritime domain to uphold the same." India and many other democratic countries have been pressing for peaceful settlement of the disputes and for adherence to international law, especially the UNCLOS (UN Convention on the Law of the Sea) in the South China Sea.

In the talks, India and the Philippines agreed to share best practices and partner in maritime capacity building initiatives in areas such as maritime industry, marine scientific research and ocean economy, the MEA said in a statement. The two sides also explored ways to expand cooperation among the navies and coast guards of the two countries.

The defence ties between the two countries have been on a significant upswing in the last few years. In April, India delivered the first batch of BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles to the Philippines, in reflection of the growing military ties. The supplies came over two years after India inked a USD 375 million deal with the Southeast Asian nation to supply the weapon systems.

The Indian delegation at the maritime dialogue was led by Muanpuii Saiawi, joint secretary, disarmament and international security affairs in the MEA. The Filipino team was headed by Marshall Louis Alferez, assistant secretary at the maritime and ocean affairs office in the foreign ministry.