India wants to uphold rule of law in South China Sea: Rajnath

Addressing the festering maritime territorial dispute in the South China Sea, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday said India’s emphasis on upholding the rule of law was not against any country but meant to safeguard collective interests of all countries.

Though he did not mention China by name, the reference was obvious as Beijing is locked in a dispute with five other countries -- Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Brunei and Taiwan -- each having over-lapping claims in the hydrocarbon-rich South China Sea.

The minister was speaking at the ASEAN defence ministers' meeting at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Barring Taiwan, the other countries locked in a dispute with China are members of the ASEAN where the minister was speaking.

He referred to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, saying "India' s advocacy for freedom of navigation and overflight in the Indo-Pacific is not directed against any country but is meant to safeguard the collective interests of all regional stakeholders".

China had lost its case in the UN over maritime territorial demarcation but refused to accept the verdict. It has expanded unilateral claims over vast swathes of the disputes waters of the South China Sea with unilaterally declared no-fly zones.

Meanwhile, Rajnath asserted that India’s strategic engagement with ASEAN is not transactional but long-term and principle-driven, and it rests on a shared belief that the Indo-Pacific should remain open, inclusive, and free from coercion.

India’s security vision for the Indo-Pacific integrates defence cooperation with economic development, technology sharing, and human resource advancement. The interlinkages between security, growth, and sustainability define India’s approach to partnership with ASEAN, the minister added.

Defence cooperation with ASEAN countries is viewed as a contribution to regional peace, stability and capacity building. "India stands ready to deepen cooperation in all areas of mutual interest to promote dialogue over discord, and to strengthen regional mechanisms that ensure peace and stability," he said.

India, he said, was ready to continue contributing constructively through dialogue, partnership, and practical cooperation.

On the sidelines of the summit, the minister met with ASEAN defence ministers. The Ministry of Defence described it as an "informal meeting" and added “the ASEAN ministers appreciated India’s key role in peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region and sought to deepen defence cooperation with New Delhi at the regional level”.

Rajnath announced two forward-looking initiatives, namely ASEAN-India Initiative on Women in UN Peacekeeping Operations and ASEAN-India Defence Think-Tank Interaction. The defence ministers of Malaysia, the Philippines, Cambodia, Singapore and Thailand were also present.