India: Sea disputes must be resolved under UNCLOS

DELHI – The Indian government has reiterated its stand that the South China Sea dispute should be resolved under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), a position espoused by the Philippines.

Anil Wadhwa, secretary of India’s Ministry of External Affairs, yesterday made the statement ahead of the Delhi Dialogue VIII forum on Feb. 19-20 that aims to discuss politico-security, economic and social-cultural issues between ASEAN and India.

Wadhwa also supported calls for the approval of a code of conduct in the South China Sea to allow freedom of navigation among ASEAN countries.

“Secondly, more parties should abide by international treaties such as the UNCLOS. There is no other alternative to look at but the 1982 UNCLOS which everybody signed up to,” Wadhwa told journalists from ASEAN countries during their courtesy call yesterday.

China claims almost the entire South China Sea with its nine-dash-line policy as its only basis. China has reclaimed reefs within the Philippine territory and built military facilities there. Other claimants are Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam and Taiwan. 

Although India is not one of the claimants in the disputed areas in the South China Sea, India called on parties involved in the South China Sea dispute to learn from the successful arbitration of India’s maritime territorial dispute with Bangladesh under UNCLOS.

But China has been insisting that UNCLOS does not have the mandate to deal with territorial dispute. 

Despite its appeals for unity, ASEAN members have diverging agendas, and the bloc has had difficulty taking a common stand on China which has close relationships with several members.