By Michaela del Callar
MANILA, (PNA) –- India, a powerful voice in Asia, has backed a growing international clamor for the territorial disputes in the South China Sea to be resolved based on rule of law, specifically the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
Visiting Indian Foreign Minister Salman Khurshid also said he hopes that the arbitration case filed by the Philippines against China before an international tribunal in The Hague, Netherlands “works,” but noted that ultimately the voice of the Asian people must be heeded.
“India has clearly stated its position of support for free access to sealanes and of course the international law and UNCLOS being the basis for peaceful resolution of any such disputes if they arise. Of course, the arbitration is one answer,” Khurshid told foreign and local diplomats at the Department of Foreign Affairs in his lecture on India’s foreign policy.
Khurshid’s statement reflects the growing international concern over the long seething disputes, the need to prevent the conflict from turning violent and a guarantee of unimpeded access in the busy sealanes.
UNCLOS is a 1982 accord by 163 countries that governs the use of offshore areas and sets territorial limits of coastal states. The Philippines and China are both signatories to the treaty.
The South China Sea – a strategic waterway where a bulk of the world’s trade pass – had been a source of conflict among competing claimants the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, China and Taiwan.
The waters, parts of which are known in the Philippines as West Philippine Sea – are dotted with islands, reefs, cays, shoals and rock formations. It is believed to be rich in natural gas and oil deposits and analysts feared the competing claims could spark a military conflict in the region.
“I hope it (arbitration) works, but at the end of the day, whether an institutional response is of help to you, or to anyone else, it is the will of the people of the region that is very important and the will of the people of the region is that there should be a peaceful resolution,” said Khurshid, who earlier met with Philippine counterpart Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario for a regular bilateral consultation.
Although India does not take sides on the territorial rifts, he said his country’s “conviction is that there is a peaceful resolution to every problem.”
Tensions in the area spiked anew last year after the Philippines and Vietnam separately accused China of fresh incursions in areas they say fall within their sovereign waters.
The United States and the European Union have both adopted resolutions calling for a peaceful settlement of disputes in the South China Sea.
India, which also has a similar border dispute with China, said both the Philippines and China can move forward with their relations by trying to isolate their territorial row.
“Very sensibly it is possible to ring fence the difficulties but continue working in areas where there is potential for convergence and growth,” Khurshid said.He also said that territorial disputes usually take a long time to be resolved.
“I think some out of the box thinking and patience are two key dimensions of an attempt to find a lasting sustainable peaceful and peace solutions for this issue,” Khurshid said. “My advice is patience does pay.”