New Delhi: Amid ongoing tension between the United States and China over claim of South China Sea, India on Thursday reiterated that its position is clear and consistent and its a part of global commons.
Addressing the mediapersons during the virtual weekly briefing, Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said India has an abiding interest in peace and stability in the South China region.
“We have articulated our position on South China Sea on several occasions in the past, most recently on May 21, 2020. Our position on this issue has been clear and consistent. South China Sea is a part of global commons and India has an abiding interest in peace and stability in the region.”
He said New Delhi firmly stand for the freedom of navigation and overflight and unimpeded lawful commerce in these international waterways, in accordance with international law, notably UNCLOS.
“India also believes that any differences be resolved peacefully by respecting the legal and diplomatic processes and without resorting to threat or use of force,” he added.
The US has toughened its stand on China. It has called Beijing’s extensive claims to South China Sea ‘completely unlawful’.
“The US champions a free and open Indo-Pacific. Today we are strengthening US policy in a vital, contentious part of that region — the South China Sea. We are making clear: Beijing’s claims to offshore resources across most of the South China Sea are completely unlawful, as is its campaign of bullying to control them,” US Secretary of State Michael R Pompeo has said.
In the South China Sea, “we seek to preserve peace and stability, uphold freedom of the seas in a manner consistent with international law, maintain the unimpeded flow of commerce, and oppose any attempt to use coercion or force to settle disputes. We share these deep and abiding interests with our many allies and partners who have long endorsed a rules-based international order,” he has said.
Mr Pompeo also said that the world will not allow Beijing to treat the South China Sea as its maritime empire.
“America stands with our Southeast Asian allies and partners in protecting their sovereign rights to offshore resources, consistent with their rights and obligations under international law,” he added.
“We stand with the international community in defense of freedom of the seas and respect for sovereignty and reject any push to impose “might makes right” in the South China Sea or the wider region, the secretary of state said.
Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam contest China's claim to almost all of the South China Sea. The countries have wrangled over territory for decades but tension has steadily increased in recent years.
