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India & Japan take aim at China, voice ‘serious concern’ over militarisation of East, South China seas

Joint statement outlines priorities on global security, placing focus on hotspots such as South China Sea and East China Sea, as well as the Russia-Ukraine war and Pahalgam.

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New Delhi: India and Japan Friday took aim at China, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Japanese counterpart Shigeru Ishiba reiterating their “strong opposition to any unilateral actions” that attempt to change by “force or coercion” the situation in the East China Sea and South China Sea.

“The two Prime Ministers expressed serious concern over the situation in the East China Sea and the South China Sea. They reiterated their strong opposition to any unilateral actions that endanger the safety as well as freedom of navigation and overflight, and attempt to change the status quo by force or coercion,” the joint statement on Partnership for Security and Prosperity of our Next Generation said.

The statement added: “They shared their serious concern over the militarisation of disputed features. They reaffirmed that maritime disputes must be resolved peacefully and in accordance with international law, in particular the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).”

China has increasingly been active in both the East China Sea and South China Sea, with the Chinese Navy carrying out drills in June near Japan, which sparked protests from Tokyo, according to reports. Both Chinese aircraft carriers, the Shandong and the Lianoning, were conducting simultaneous drills.

For India, ties with Beijing have seen a thaw in the last few weeks, with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi visiting New Delhi last week and holding a raft of discussions with the Indian leadership. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to travel to China on 31 August and 1 September for the Heads of State summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).

By calling for all disputes in the two seas to be resolved “in accordance with international law”, specifically the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, India and Japan reiterated their support for the Philippines, another country Tokyo has deepened its security ties with in recent years.

In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague had found that China had violated the sovereign rights of the Philippines in certain areas in the South China Sea, while also ruling that Beijing had no claim to the historic rights of resources within its ‘nine-dash line’ claim.

The joint statement is a part of the outcome documents from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s two-day visit to Japan on 29 August and 30 August for the annual India-Japan summit. He held a meeting with his Japanese counterpart Shigeru Ishiba Friday, which lasted for over two hours.

The two leaders also reaffirmed their commitment to the Quad, and “welcomed the evolution of the grouping into a vital and enduring regional grouping”. Beijing has long viewed the Quad with suspicion as a grouping aimed at curtailing its interests in the Indo-Pacific region. Its members include India, Japan, Australia and the US.


Also Read: Japan targets $68 bn investment in India over 10 yrs, both to set up NSA-level dialogue mechanism


Joint statement on terrorism

Indian and Japan jointly called for the “perpetrators, organisers and financiers” behind the “reprehensible” terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam to be brought to justice “without any delay”.

“They also called for concerted actions against all UN-listed terrorist groups and entities including Al Qaeda, ISIS/Daesh, Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) and their proxies, and to take resolute actions to root out terrorists’ safe havens, eliminate terrorist financing channels and its nexus with transnational crime, and halt cross-border movement of terrorists,” the joint statement said.

In particular, the Joint Declaration on Security Cooperation highlighted that the two countries would work together at “multilateral fora” to counter terrorism, while also making efforts to ensure the adoption of the “Convention on International Terrorism at the United Nations”.

The Pahalgam terrorist attack on 22 April left 26 people dead. India launched Operation Sindoor in retaliation to the terrorist attack on 7 May, targeting at least 10 terrorist complexes across Pakistan occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) and Pakistan. Islamabad retaliated by targeting Indian military installation leading to an 87-hour conflict between the two neighbours.

On nuclear weapons and other global hotspots

The outcome documents agreed to by Modi and Ishiba also find the two leaders finding consensus on regional issues of importance for Japan, calling for the complete denuclearisation of North Korea.

“The two Prime Ministers condemned North Korea’s destabilising launches using ballistic missile technology and its continued pursuit of nuclear weapons in violation of multiple UN Security Council resolutions (UNSCRs). They reaffirmed their commitment to the complete denuclearisation of North Korea in accordance with relevant UNSCRs, and urged North Korea to abide by all its obligations under the United Nations Charter and the UNSCRs,” the joint statement said.

The statement added: “They called on North Korea to return to dialogue to promote peace and stability in the Korean peninsula. They stressed the importance of addressing continued concern regarding proliferation of nuclear and missile technologies to and from North Korea in the region and beyond. They urged all UN Member States to abide by their international obligations under the UNSCRs to implement sanctions, including the prohibition on the transfer to North Korea or procurement from North Korea of all arms and related materiel.”

The statement on North Korea is of particular significance, as it calls for the “prohibition” on the procurement of all arms from the country. Russia has been using North Korean missiles in its ongoing war with Ukraine, according to reports. Moscow has long been a strategic partner for India, in particular through their long defence and security ties.

Since the start of the current phase of war between Russia and Ukraine, Moscow has moved to deepen its ties with Pyongyang, with President Vladimir V. Putin visiting North Korea in June 2024. Putin is also set to attend a military parade in Beijing on 3 September (marking 80 years since Japan surrendered in World War II), alongside North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-Un and the President of China Xi Jinping.

On the subject of the Russia-Ukraine war, the two leaders “welcomed” the ongoing diplomatic efforts by different countries—including the US—to “achieve a just and lasting peace,” based on the UN Charter and international law.

(Edited by Viny Mishra)


Also read: Japan targets $68 bn investment in India over 10 yrs, both to set up NSA-level dialogue mechanism


 

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