India takes dig at ‘ambitious’ China

In what seems to be a veiled dig at China with whom a military stand-off is continuing at the Doklam sector in Bhutan, India has said that the “warm glow of shared progress and sustainable development (in the AsiaPacific region)... is offset with geo-political ambitions manifesting itself in unilateral attempts at determination and appropriation of global commons”.

Beijing has maritime territorial disputes with some of the Asean nations.

At the seventh East Asia Summit (EAS) foreign ministers’ meeting in Manila, Philippines, India said it “would be hosting the third EAS conference on maritime safety and security, later this year”. At the EAS, minister of state (MoS) for external affairs General (retired.) V.K. Singh was quoted by the ministry of external affairs as saying in Manila, “We are celebrating the golden jubilee of establishment of the Asean... Shared prosperity demands co-operation. Secure and open sea lanes are critical for peace, stability, prosperity and development. In this context, India reiterates the importance of freedom of navigation and overflight on the high seas, unimpeded lawful commerce, as well as resolving maritime disputes by peaceful means, in accordance with universally recognised principles of international law notably the 1982 UN convention on the law of the sea.”

In what seems to be a statement in the context of India boycotting the recent One Belt One Road conference organised by China in Beijing, Mr Singh said, “We are of firm belief that connectivity initiatives must be based on universally recognised international norms, good governance, rule of law, openness, transparency and equality... We believe in transparent development of infrastructure and the use of responsible debt financing practices while underlining respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity.”