Philippines President Marcos Jr to visit India; bilateral talks on trade, investment and maritime expected - what's on agenda?
NEW DELHI:
Philippines President
Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr to visit India from August 4 to 8, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Thursday.
This will be President Marcos' first visit to India since assuming office.
He will be accompanied by First Lady Madame Louise Araneta Marcos and a high-level delegation comprising several Cabinet Ministers, senior officials, dignitaries, and business leaders.
During the visit, Marcos is scheduled to meet President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, and other senior officials. He will arrive in New Delhi on August 4 and will first hold a meeting with Jaishankar.
On August 5, Marcos will lay a wreath at Rajghat before heading to Hyderabad House for bilateral talks with Prime Minister Modi. An exchange of Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) and press statements will follow the meeting.
He will also meet JP Nadda, Minister of Health and Family Welfare, before calling on President Murmu later the same day.
Following the official engagements in Delhi, President Marcos will travel to Bengaluru, where he will meet Karnataka Governor Thawar Chand Gehlot.
by Taboola
by Taboola
Sponsored Links
Sponsored Links
Promoted Links
Promoted Links
You May Like
If You Eat Ginger Everyday for 1 Month This is What Happens
Tips and Tricks
Undo
'India's relations with the Philippines are an integral pillar of our 'Act East' Policy, Vision MAHASAGAR and our vision of the Indo-Pacific,' the MEA said.
The visit marks 75th anniversary of India and the Philippines diplomatic relations, which began in November 1949.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
India Today
25 minutes ago
- India Today
Modi misread Trump: Now India pays the price
A war of words has erupted between New Delhi and Washington, exposing the fragility of what was once hailed as a geopolitical success story. India has hit back hard at US President Donald Trump's threat to hike tariffs on Indian goods over continued imports of Russian oil, calling the targeting "unjustified and unreasonable" whilst slamming what it perceives as Washington's double The so-called Modi-Trump bromance, once paraded as diplomatic triumph, is now cracking under the weight of harsh reality. What began with mutual praise and public spectacle, from the "Howdy Modi" event in Houston to the grand "Namaste Trump" reception in Ahmedabad, has devolved into accusations, tariffs, and transactional Fatal MiscalculationOne of New Delhi's fundamental missteps was assuming that warm handshakes and mega-rallies could override hard economic interests. Modi's outreach to Trump was personal, public, and passionate, but Trump doesn't separate business from bromance. The "great friend" narrative gave India false confidence that proved Modi threw his weight behind Trump, literally sharing the stage with him in Houston and Ahmedabad, it was a bet on personal chemistry over policy complexity. India saw Trump not as a volatile businessman-president, but as a dealmaker who'd favour "friends." The reality? Trump doesn't do friendships, he does leverage. And India misread that playbook temples in Varanasi to villages in Gujarat, people performed pujas praying for Trump's victory. Modi had pulled off spectacular diplomatic theatre, and India felt it had America in its corner. Yet Trump's loyalty lies only with the US balance sheet, viewing India as a trade surplus machine rather than a strategic Russian Oil WedgeIndia's dependence on Russian oil has become the new wedge in this deteriorating relationship. With crude prices volatile and energy security paramount, India turned to Moscow for discounted supply, with Russia now accounting for up to 40% of India's oil imports. Trump, who views foreign policy through a profit-loss lens, sees this as lashed out, accusing India of undermining the West's Ukraine strategy and "helping Putin," with tariffs becoming punishment. Worse still, he's framed it as India profiting from global chaos. Modi's government finds itself caught in a trilemma: oil security, global optics, and Trump's offensive 4th August 2025, India's Ministry of External Affairs dropped a diplomatic bombshell in response. Calling Trump's tariff threats "unjustified and unreasonable," the MEA emphasised that India's oil purchases are driven by survival, not sympathy for Moscow. With Middle Eastern oil redirected to Europe after the Ukraine war, India had little choice but to buy discounted Russian crude to shield its economy. India's anger wasn't merely economic, it was moral. The statement highlighted US and EU hypocrisy, pointing out how the West continues trading heavily with Russia in everything from uranium to fertilisers, yet singles out India for 25% Tariff HammerTrump's imposition of a 25% tariff on all Indian goods wasn't just economic muscle-flexing, it was a warning shot. The US goods trade deficit with India stood at $45.7 billion in 2024, which Trump views as theft, plain and simple. His administration has revived old complaints about high tariffs, restricted market access, regulatory red tape, and "unfair" practices in pharmaceuticals, agriculture, and most jarring for India was Trump's renewed outreach to Pakistan, military meetings, energy cooperation discussions, and vague proposals of "regional balance." For a country that expected Trump to be firmly in its anti-Pakistan corner, this felt like betrayal, exposing another blind spot in India's strategic Path ForwardIndia must now abandon illusions of personal diplomacy. Trump is a negotiator, not a friend, he respects leverage, not loyalty. New Delhi must shift from sentimentality to strategy, from ceremonial displays to pragmatic biggest lesson? Don't tie national strategy to individual leaders. American policy is shifting toward hard realism, and India must do the same. This means engaging not as a junior partner seeking approval, but as a sovereign power navigating a multipolar obsession with optics, handshakes, stagecraft, mega-events, must give way to tough negotiations, quiet diplomacy, and pragmatic positioning. Because Trump isn't here to dance at "Namaste Trump" events, he's here to deal. And if Modi wants to succeed, it's time to stop praying and start playing hardball politics.- Ends
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
25 minutes ago
- Business Standard
Substantial tariff hike on India in 24 hours: US President Donald Trump
With New Delhi still looking to find ways to respond to the White House threats of increasing tariffs on Indian goods, US President Donald Trump on Tuesday issued a fresh warning saying he would raise tariffs 'very substantially' over the next 24 hours because India is buying Russian oil. He termed India as not a good trading partner. About the trade deal with India that seemed imminent, Trump said the 'sticking point' with India is that its tariffs are too high. Trump's latest statement on the issue came hours after India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) issued a terse statement on Monday evening, where it termed the targeting by the US and the European Union for importing Russian crude unjustified and unreasonable. Until the Monday evening statement, Indian officials had said New Delhi did not want to publicly engage in a war of words with Trump, preferring to convey its perceptions to the White House behind closed doors. The developments in the past 24 hours have suggested a hardening of stands between the two countries. Addressing a public meeting in Uttar Pradesh on Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had urged Indians to buy locally manufactured products. In the midst of its tensions with the Trump administration over trade, official sources in New Delhi have said National Security Advisor Ajit Doval will visit Russia this week, and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar later this month. The two visits are part of routine India-Russia annual consultations. This will culminate with the annual summit meeting between Modi and the Russian President with the latter slated to visit India, but are taking place at a crucial juncture in India's ties both with Russia and the US. In a sign that there may yet be an opportunity to strike a deal before the deadline, Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to visit Russia this week, as early as Wednesday. In an interview to CNBC Squawk Box, Trump said India was 'fuelling the war machine' by buying Russian crude and that he is displeased about it. 'India has not been a good trading partner, because they do a lot of business with us, but we don't do business with them. So we settled on 25 per cent (tariff), but I think I'm going to raise that very substantially over the next 24 hours, because they're buying Russian oil. They're fuelling the war machine. And if they're going to do that, then I'm not going to be happy,' he added. Asked about the trade deal with India, Trump cited high tariffs by India: 'Now I will say this, India went from the highest tariffs ever, they will give us zero tariffs….But that's not good enough, because of what they're doing with oil.' A person privy to the talks said that while negotiations are not dead yet, they have definitely hit a stalemate. Only discussions at the highest political level are now necessary to break the impasse, the source said. However, if tensions escalate, it could also stall the ongoing trade deal negotiations between India and the US, experts said. A US trade team is set to visit India on August 25 for the sixth round of talks on the Bilateral Trade Agreement. On Tuesday, Russia defended India's right to select trade partners. 'We believe that sovereign countries must have and do have the right to choose their trade partners, the partners in trade and economic cooperation, on their own and independently determine those modes of trade and economic cooperation that suit the interests of a country in question," Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists, commenting on the US' threats regarding India. On Monday, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakahrova accused the US administration of continuing a neocolonial policy against the nations of the Global South to maintain American hegemony. After days of not reacting publicly to Trump's threats, India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) late Monday evening had issued a terse statement, where it termed the targeting by the US and the European Union for importing Russian crude as unjustified and unreasonable. 'Like any major economy, India will take all necessary measures to safeguard its national interests and economic security,' it said. In its statement on Monday evening, the MEA said India began importing from Russia because traditional supplies were diverted to Europe after the conflict began. The US at that time actively encouraged such imports by India for strengthening global energy markets stability, it said. Alluding to the US and EU's double standards on the issue, India pointed out that the EU in 2024 had a bilateral trade of €67.5 billion in goods with Russia. 'In addition, it had trade in services estimated at €7.2 billion in 2023. This is significantly more than India's total trade with Russia that year or subsequently. European imports of LNG in 2024, in fact, reached a record 16.5 million tonnes (mt), surpassing the last record of 15.21 mt in 2022,' the MEA said. It added that Europe-Russia trade includes not just energy, but also fertilisers, mining products, chemicals, iron and steel and machinery and transport equipment. The US continues to import from Russia uranium hexafluoride for its nuclear industry, palladium for its EV industry, fertilisers as well as chemicals, the MEA said. It argued that India's imports are meant to ensure predictable and affordable energy costs to the Indian consumer, and a necessity compelled by global market situation. 'However, it is revealing that the very nations criticising India are themselves indulging in trade with Russia. Unlike our case, such trade is not even a vital national compulsion,' the MEA said. Over the past one month, Trump repeatedly claimed that India and the US were close to finalising a mini trade deal, but the pact could not materialise before the August 1 deadline. 'The sticking point with India is that the tariffs are too high,' Trump said. Trump has time and again called India a 'tariff king' and flagged concerns over its high tariffs, especially in the case of items such as automobile, agricultural products. For instance, the US' average applied Most-Favoured Nation (MFN) tariff on agricultural goods is 5 per cent, whereas India's average applied MFN tariff or tariff for all nations is 39 per cent. 'They will give us zero tariff…but that's not good enough because what they're doing with oil is not good,' he said.
Time of India
39 minutes ago
- Time of India
DU's U-Special buses may return with new upgrades
New Delhi: Chief minister Rekha Gupta on Tuesday announced the relaunch of the U-Special bus service around Delhi University, reviving a transport option once central to student life. The announcement was made during the inauguration of the new academic block at DU's Social Centre School. Aimed at easing daily commutes for university students, the relaunched service will feature buses operating on DU routes with added features like onboard music, ambient lighting and air-conditioning to enhance the experience. "This is my gift to the students," said Gupta while addressing the crowd. "Back in our college days, that bus felt like our own — no one else could enter. Over time, those buses disappeared. But today, Delhi govt is bringing them back," she said. You Can Also Check: Delhi AQI | Weather in Delhi | Bank Holidays in Delhi | Public Holidays in Delhi Gupta also proposed a new mentorship programme to bridge educational gaps. She urged Delhi colleges to adopt nearby govt schools and take on a mentoring role. "Why can't each college adopt two or three schools? College students could visit once a week to teach and inspire schoolchildren," she said, directing education minister Ashish Sood to prepare a detailed blueprint for the initiative. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Even Beautiful Women Have Their 'Oops' Moments Read More Undo The event also saw the presence of Sood and DU vice-chancellor Yogesh Singh. Sood called on colleges to participate in the 'Kude Se Azadi' (Freedom from Garbage) campaign, suggesting that each college adopt a nearby area and turn it into a cleanliness model. He also promised significant upgrades to university infrastructure. "You'll soon see smart classrooms and modern labs." Reinforcing the govt's commitment, he added, "Our priority is to democratise education — to ensure it is accessible and equitable across Delhi." Singh encouraged students to adopt a solution-oriented mindset. "Be problem solvers, not complainers," he about the new academic block, Singh said, "This building was completed in just 21 months at a cost of Rs 21 crore." Emphasising the need for value-based education, he added, "We must create an ecosystem that promotes country-first thinking among students, rather than self-centred ambition. That's something we've been missing for the past 75 years."
