Jakarta. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday called for a rules-based world order after the COVID-19 pandemic in the backdrop of China’s aggressive moves on territorial disputes and called for joint efforts to strengthen the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries.
PM Modi’s remarks while addressing the ASEAN-India Summit and East Asia Summit in the Indonesian capital Jakarta came days after Beijing released a ‘standard map’ showing the territories of other countries within China’s borders. India, Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Vietnam and Taiwan have opposed China’s map.
At the ASEAN-India Summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi presented a 12-point proposal to strengthen India-ASEAN cooperation in areas such as connectivity, trade and digital transformation, in which he called for a collective fight against terrorism, financing of terrorism and cyber disinformation. And also called to raise the voice of the Global South.
The summit also adopted two joint statements on maritime cooperation and food security. In his address to the conference, Modi said, “Progress of a free and open Indo-Pacific region and amplifying the voice of the Global South is in the common interest of all.” Global South is a term used to identify the regions of Latin America, Asia, Africa and Oceania.
PM Modi said, 21st century is the century of Asia. This is our century. “This requires everyone’s efforts to build a rules-based world order post-Covid-19 and for human well-being.” He also reiterated that ASEAN is the central pillar of India’s Act East policy and fully supports the centrality of ASEAN and its vision on the Indo-Pacific.
The 10 member countries of ASEAN are Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar and Cambodia. The ASEAN-India dialogue relationship began in 1992 with the establishment of the Regional Partnership. It took the form of a full dialogue partnership in December 1995 and a summit level partnership in 2002. Relations between the two sides reached a strategic partnership in 2012.
PM Modi made more strident statements at the East Asia Summit (EAS), which was attended by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang. The EAS forms a group of eight dialogue partners, including ASEAN member states and Australia, China, Japan, Russia and the US. Addressing the East Asia Summit, PM Modi said India believes that a code of conduct for the South China Sea should be effective and consistent with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
Referring to geopolitical conflicts, the Prime Minister reiterated that ‘today is not an era of war’ and dialogue and diplomacy are the only ways to resolve conflicts. PM Modi said that terrorism, extremism and geopolitical conflict are ‘big challenges’ for ‘all of us’ and the current global scenario is full of challenging situations and uncertainties. He said, ‘Full compliance with international laws is imperative and concerted efforts by all are necessary to strengthen the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries.’
Apart from the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) member states, the East Asia Summit includes India, China, Japan, Republic of Korea, Australia, New Zealand, US and Russia. PM Modi’s comments come amid global concern over China’s increasing military aggression in the South China Sea. ASEAN countries are pushing for a binding Code of Conduct (CoC) on the South China Sea.
PM Modi said, “The need of the hour is an Indo-Pacific region where international laws, including UNCLOS, apply equally to all countries. Where there is freedom of navigation and flight and where there is uninterrupted lawful trade for the benefit of all. “India believes that a code of conduct for the South China Sea should be effective, consistent with UNCLOS and also consider the interests of countries that are not part of the discussion,” he said.
India-China relations are currently at a six-decade low due to the prolonged military standoff along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). Chinese President Xi Jinping has decided to skip the G20 summit to be hosted by India later this week and Beijing will be represented at the meeting by Premier Li. The Indian side strongly objected to China’s “standard map” to include Aksai China and Arunachal Pradesh. The External Affairs Ministry said such steps would ‘only complicate the resolution of the border dispute’.
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Tags: China, India, Narendra Modi
First published: September 07, 2023, 20:19 IST