Irresponsible nations twisting international sea laws, Rajnath Singh takes dig at China

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, November 21

Without naming China, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday said some “irresponsible nations”, for the sake of their narrow partisan interests and hegemonic tendencies, were giving new and inappropriate interpretations to international laws.

The Defence Minister was speaking at the commissioning of INS Visakhapatnam, indigenously built stealth guided-missile destroyer, at Naval Dockyard, Mumbai.

Navy’s destroyer Visakhapatnam commissioned

• Stealth guided-missile destroyer equipped with latest weapons
• Indigenously built 7,400 tonne warship is 163m in length, 17m in breadth
• 4 powerful gas turbines for propelling; top speed exceeds 30 knots

The minister did not name South China Sea but the intent was clear when he said: “In the ‘United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea’ (UNCLOS) of 1982, territorial waters of nations, exclusive economic zones and the principle of ‘Good order at sea’ have been propounded.”

China has lost its argument before a UN court on defining the territorial limits of South China Sea. It hasn’t accepted the verdict, but has launched negotiations with five other countries—Brunei, Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia and the Philippines—which were part of the dispute.

India, as a responsible maritime stakeholder, is a supporter of consensus-based principles and a peaceful, open, rule-based and stable maritime order, the Defence Minister said, adding that “arbitrary interpretations” of the law create obstacles in the path of a rule-based maritime order.

The primary objective of the Indian Navy was the need to keep the Indo-Pacific region open, safe and secure, Rajnath Singh said, adding, “We envision a rule-based Indo-Pacific, with freedom of navigation, free trade and universal values, in which the interests of all countries are protected.”

The role of the Indian Navy becomes important in the entire Indo-Pacific region as the security of sea lanes is needed in the present era of globalisation to ensure stability, economic progress and development.

The Defence Minister asserted that India’s interests were directly linked with the Indian Ocean and the region was crucial for world economy. Challenges such as piracy, terrorism, illegal smuggling of arms and narcotics, human trafficking, illegal fishing and damage to the environment also impacted the maritime domain.

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