New Delhi, Nov 12 (PTI) India on Thursday said any code of conduct for the South China Sea must comply with international maritime law, especially the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), remarks that came amid reported progress by China and ASEAN on a pact aimed at preventing confrontations in the contested region.
China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have been negotiating the code of conduct for over a decade, as several ASEAN member states have territorial disputes with Beijing over the South China Sea.
There have been growing 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, Malaysia, the Philippines and Brunei, have counterclaims.
India and many other democratic countries have been pressing for peaceful settlement of the disputes and for adherence to international law, especially the UNCLOS.
“Our position on this is very clear. This is a very important international waterway. So, whatever code of conduct is developed must be compliant with international maritime law, in particular United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS),” said Rudrendra Tandon, Secretary (East) in the external affairs ministry.
“It must take into account the legitimate rights of countries that are not participating in that negotiation. Beyond that, I don’t think there has been any development in the code of conduct negotiations,” he said.
Tandon was responding to a question on the issue at a media briefing he held on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s upcoming visit to Manila to attend the India-ASEAN Summit and related meetings.
China and the ASEAN reportedly held at least 10 major rounds of negotiations this year on the proposed code of conduct.
There have been growing global concerns over China’s increasing military muscle-flexing in the South China Sea.
The Associated Press reported this week that China and ASEAN have made progress on the South China Sea code of conduct but won’t be able to conclude the negotiations this year as agreed. PTI MPB KVK
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