India has once again called upon all parties in disputes on the South China Sea to abide by the 2002 Declaration of Conduct on this sea while also reaffirming the importance of unimpeded right of passage and other maritime rights in accordance with the accepted principles of international law.
Stating his country’s position on the disputed waters before the 27-member Asean Regional Forum (ARF) here on Tuesday, external affairs minister Salman Khurshid said, “These principles should be respected.”
The ARF allows members to have a dialogue on political and security cooperation among other things.
He also emphasised the need to maintain peace and security in the region and said that sovereignty issues needed to be resolved peacefully by the concerned countries in accordance with accepted principles of international law.
The reiteration of its position on the South China Sea by India comes even as China remains at loggerheads with many of its neighbours over its muscle-flexing on this sea. India has also said that it is opposed to the use of threat or force. However, at the bilateral level, New Delhi and Beijing appear to have put their tensions over the recent Chinese border incursion behind them with both sides striking a note of camaraderie and bonhomie after a meeting of their foreign ministers on the sidelines of the ARF here on Tuesday.
Using a simile to describe the efforts being made by both sides to forge ahead with their bilateral ties, Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi said soon after the conclusion of the discussions, “Premier Li just visited India and we look forward to receiving Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to China later this year. We believe that these two visits are like sowing the seeds in spring and reaping the fruits in autumn. And this is our common goal which we believe serves the interests of both peoples.”
Indeed, the two leaders appeared to have struck a good personal rapport with Mr Yi saying soon after the meeting that it was a “cordial discussion like between good friends and brothers”. As the two leaders stood shoulder-to-shoulder, he drew attention to this, saying, “Take a look at how close the two of us are. You can see how close the relationship between our two countries is.”