Jaishankar talks about South China Sea at 15th East Asia Summit; speaks of actions & trust

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar during an address at the 15th East Asia Summit talked about the Indo-Pacific and as per ANI, expressed concerns over "actions and incidents that erode trust" in the region. He also emphasized that the code of conduct negotiations should be fully consistent with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

15th East Asia Summit

The summit was chaired by the Prime Minister of Vietnam Nguyen Xuan Phuc in his capacity as ASEAN Chair. All the eighteen EAS countries participated in the virtual Summit. The minister noted the growing interest in the Indo-Pacific as an integrated maritime space, with ASEAN at its center. As per the reports by ANI, Jaishankar said that India was equally positive about the Indo-Pacific policies that have been recently announced by other nations. 

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A statement by the Ministry of External Affairs said, “EAM noted the growing interest in the Indo-Pacific as an integrated and organic maritime space, with ASEAN at its center. He appreciated the synergy between the ASEAN Outlook and India's Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative. India was equally positive about the Indo-Pacific policies announced recently by other nations. Harmonizing various perspectives would never be a challenge if there is a commitment to international cooperation”. The statement added, “On the South China Sea, EAM expressed concern about actions and incidents that erode trust in the region. He stated that the Code of Conduct negotiations should not be prejudicial to legitimate interests of third parties and should be fully consistent with UNCLOS”. 

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Jaishankar further talked about the need for greater international cooperation in the post-COVID era. This will help in further tackling the challenges like terrorism, climate change and pandemics. The leaders also noted the importance of cooperation in ensuring an affordable access to COVID-19 vaccines. Issues like the situation in Korean peninsula and Rakhine state were also discussed. The Summit also discussed ways to strengthen the EAS platform and make it even more responsive. As per the press release, the Summit adopted four other Leaders’ Statements on topics like Marine Sustainability; Epidemics Prevention and Response; Women, Peace and Security; and Steady Growth of Regional Economy. 

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(Image Credits: Twitter/@MEAIndia)