India reiterated its stance on the South China Sea issue, emphasizing the importance of freedom of navigation, overflight, and lawful maritime commerce in line with international law. The Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson highlighted the significance of resolving disputes peacefully under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). The arbitral tribunal’s ruling a decade ago was noted as a crucial milestone for peaceful dispute settlement in the region.
Twelve countries, including the US and key Indo-Pacific partners, reaffirmed their commitment to a “free and open Indo-Pacific” and the rules-based international order. They marked the 10th anniversary of the 2016 arbitral tribunal ruling that rejected China’s expansive maritime claims in the South China Sea. Upholding freedom of navigation and overflight, along with other lawful uses of the sea as per UNCLOS, was underscored in a joint statement.
The governments reiterated the tribunal’s finding that there is no legal basis for China’s broad maritime claims in the South China Sea, including those based on ‘historic rights.’ They emphasized the importance of upholding freedom of navigation and overflight, as well as other internationally lawful uses of the sea, as reflected in UNCLOS. The South China Sea, claimed by multiple countries, remains a strategic flashpoint in the Indo-Pacific due to competing claims and past confrontations involving coast guard and naval vessels.
