With an eye on China, which has been accused of violating international law following its claims in the South China Sea, India on Wednesday has urged international shipping to follow rules mandated by the UN Convention on the Law of Seas (UNCLOS).
Delivering the keynote address at the Indo-Pacific Regional Dialogue (IPRD) 2021 today, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh also expressed the need for efficient and collaborative harnessing of maritime potential of Indo-Pacific for a steady path to prosperity.
The three-day annual dialogue is being organised virtually by the Indian Navy and the National Maritime Foundation to discuss in detail the geopolitical developments in the Indo-Pacific.
Rajnath's comments came on a day Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to address the 16th East Asia Summit, a premier leaders-led forum in the Indo-Pacific region.
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"India is committed to respecting the rights of all nations as laid down in the UN Convention. We are fully determined to protect the legitimate rights and interests of our country in relation to our territorial waters and Exclusive Economic Zone, while supporting the maintenance of rule-based maritime systems, as mandated under UNCLOS, 1982," Singh said.
Referring to PM Modi's description of the Indo-Pacific as a natural region, where destinies of entities are interlinked, the Defence Minister said that the seas are a vital communication link to facilitate transport of goods, exchange of ideas, catalysing innovations and contributing to bringing the world closer.
"Although the Indo-Pacific is characterised by diversity, marked by a multiplicity of cultures, ethnicities, economic models, governance systems and varied aspirations, the oceans remain a common binding link," he said.
He emphasised on the need for an efficient, cooperative and collaborative harnessing of the region's maritime potential for sustaining a steady path to prosperity.
Singh also pointed out that while the seas offer abundant opportunities for sustenance and growth of the mankind, they pose challenges such as terrorism, piracy, drug trafficking and climate change.
He called for a cooperative response to these challenges which, he said, has considerable trans-national implications.
"There is a need to find convergence of interests and commonality of purpose on maritime issues," he added.
IPRD-2021 will focus on eight specific sub-themes under the broad theme of 'Evolution in Maritime Strategy during the 21st Century: Imperatives, Challenges, and, Way Ahead'.
Sharing his views on the broad theme, Singh said that it dwells upon the region's past, gauges the present and then arrives at tenets that will form the foundation of maritime strategies for the future.
He hoped that the dialogue would further the country's shared and collective vision for the Indo-Pacific.
Panel discussions would be held on eight sub-themes including evolving maritime strategies in the Indo-Pacific, strategies to address the impact of climate change upon maritime security, port-led regional maritime connectivity and development strategies and cooperative maritime domain awareness strategies.
Impact of the increasing recourse to lawfare upon a rules-based Indo-Pacific maritime order, strategies to promote regional public-private maritime partnerships, energy-insecurity and mitigating strategies and strategies to address the manned-unmanned conundrum at sea will also be discussed extensively over the next three days.
Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Karambir Singh, former Chief of the Naval Staff and Chairman, National Maritime Foundation Admiral Sunil Lanba (Retired), domain experts and policy makers of different countries are also attending the virtual event.
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