India to resist curbs on navigation & flight in South China Sea

NEW DELHI: The government has emphasised on freedom of overflight in the South China Sea amid signals that China may be readying to restrict the freedom of navigation and flight in the region where India has strong commercial and strategic interests.

Senior officials said China’s move to first claim territory, then build artificial islands and now possibly impose Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ) in the region not only goes against India’s strategic and commercial interests but also against international norms for freedom of navigation and flight.
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In an article earlier this week in state-run Global Times, Wang Dehua, director at the Shanghai Municipal Centre for International Studies claimed that India is playing its SCS card by restarting oil exploration off Vietnam coast despite China’s objections as a calculated geopolitical move to force Beijing to make “compromises” on border issue and its close ties with Pakistan.

An ADIZ extends a country’s airspace, allowing it more time to respond to foreign aircraft. While China is yet to extend ADIZ in the region, officials said India has been alerted by initial signals and will resist any such move.

China had earlier established ADIZ over East China Sea following escalation of tension with Japan and now might impose restrictions over SCS following differences with the United States over artificial islands in the disputed region. It had publicly threatened to do so a couple of months ago at a forum in Singapore, even as Chinese scholars continue to deny any such move.

China claims the whole of SCS as its own while Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan dispute this.

The past few months have seen widespread concerns expressed by these countries over reclamation works by China (artificial islands) in the region. This move raised fears that the infrastructure could allow China to station its military in these islands as well as use airstrip for offensive purposes.

SCS is a major sea lane of communication not only for India but also for other countries including Japan to conduct their trade in the Pacific and carry their cargo. Officials said that sanctity of lanes of communication and allowing overflight in SCS is imperative as India has major interests in Vietnam and growing relationship with other countries in the region including Philippines.

ONGC has decided to restart oil exploration in the offshore blocks offered by Vietnam in SCS and asserts that this is purely a commercial move. India’s state-run as well as private firms are expanding their presence in Vietnam across sectors from power to textiles. India also has growing defence and security ties with Vietnam as part of strategic partnership.

In a speech last month at the fifth East Asia Summit foreign ministers meeting at Kuala Lumpur, the minister of state for external affairs VK Singh made India’s stand clear on SCS dispute in no uncertain terms. “India supports freedom of navigation in international waters, including the South China Sea, the right of passage and overflight, unimpeded commerce and access to resources in accordance with principles of international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. Territorial disputes must be settled through peaceful means, as was done by India and Bangladesh recently using the mechanisms provided under UNCLOS,” Singh said at the meeting.

Meanwhile, China on its part last month sent a strong signal by sending flotilla of warships coinciding with September 3 military parade to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. This, experts point out is aimed at sending message to India, USA and others that China will try to expand in Indian Ocean region in response to those powers presence in SCS.