South China Sea Dispute: India Asked To Play Positive Role - Institute for Maritime and Ocean Affairs

Indian Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on Wednesday expressed concerns over the recent tensions between Beijing and Washington over an American naval vessel that was sailing through China-built artificial islands in the SCS. Speaking at the ASEAN Plus defence ministers meeting in Kuala Lumpur, he stressed that maritime security is a common challenge and the global community should respect any country’s freedom of navigation in international waters.

In a guarded reaction to Indian minister’s call, senior spokesperson of the Chinese Foreign Ministry Hua Chunying said that as New Delhi is concerned about freedom of navigation in the strategic waters, it should help countries in the region in maintaining peace and stability. She also assured the international community that Beijing would never pose a threat to freedom of navigation in the SCS, stressing that China is well aware of the fact that SCS is a major passage for cargo shipping and energy transportation. According to Hua, China, as a littoral country of the SCS, will always care about freedom of navigation in the region.

At the same time, the spokesperson made it clear that China was worried about India’s ‘Look East Policy’, as New Delhi decided to strengthen its ties with the South-East Asian countries in Beijing’s backyard. Hua insisted that India’s fast-developing ties with Vietnam and the Philippines might create trouble for her country in the coming years. She further said that China would never allow India to explore oil and gas off Vietnam’s coast, as the area falls within the disputed area of the SCS.