New Delhi seminar highlights East Sea issue

Baladas Ghoshal, a well-know scholar from the Society for Indian Ocean Studies (SIOS) said the East Sea is emerging as a hot issue as it involves countries in and outside the region when China conducts mass construction activities and militarisation in the waters, and claims sovereignty over almost all the sea – one of the key maritime route in the world.

Indian Rear-Admiral O P Sharma quoted a number of concepts and international law, affirming that China’s sovereignty claim is not in line with international law and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) to which China is also a party.

In his speech at the event, Vo Xuan Vinh from the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISAS) under the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences condemned China’s unilateral actions in the East Sea, and affirmed Vietnam’s sovereignty over the Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagoes. He also highlighted the role played by India in ensuring stability and security in the sea.

Participants also underlined the geo-political role of the Indian Ocean, saying this is one of the most dynamic regions in the world. It also has a crucial role in India’s foreign policy with nations in Africa, Southeast Asia and South Asia.

They also agreed that peace and stability in Indian Ocean is crucial to economic development of many Asian countries.