India pokes nose into East Vietnam Sea

22/12/2012- Navy chief’s threat to send forces complicates an already tense situation, writes Asia Sentinel’s Neeta Lal

India prepares to confront China in East Vietnam Sea (East sea)

Indian Navy Chief Admiral D.K. Joshi’s recent comment that India will protect its interests in the East Sea by “sending forces” if need be, has created consternation in the region and added to the tensions generated by the countries already laying claim to various parts of the sea.

“When the requirement is there, for example, in situations where our country’s interests are involved…we will be required to go there and we are prepared for that,” Joshi told a news conference. “Now, are we preparing for it? Are we having exercises of that nature? The short answer is yes.”

The admiral’s statements are regarded as an expression of Delhi’s newfound resolve to act as a serious regional ‘balancer’ and underscores a growing appetite to expand its footprint in a region that hitherto has been viewed as outside its core interests. At the moment, the equation between the two navies is vastly in China’s favor, with the Indian navy possessing140-plus warships compared with 750 for the Chinese, whose navy is not only far bigger but more sophisticated.

“The East Sea is Asia’s most politically volatile spot, said political scientist Vipin Bhambri of Jawaharlal Nehru University. “It is also rich in oil and gas – and more than half the world’s oil-tanker traffic passes through it. The region’s salience makes it tough for Asian nations to overlook any frisson of development in its waters,”

China has reacted with uncharacteristic reserve. Asked about Admiral Joshi’s comments this week, a spokesperson for China’s Foreign Ministry told the media, “China opposes unilateral oil and gas development in disputed waters of the East Sea. We hope that concerned countries respect China’s position and rights, and respect efforts made through bilateral talks to resolve disputes.”

Despite this veneer of restraint, however, there’s no denying that regional dynamics are increasingly complicated in the area with parts of East Sea also being claimed by the Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia and Taiwan. Against this backdrop, China’s recent decision to empower the police in the Hainan province, which administers the East Sea for China, to intercept foreign ships and seize vessels in sea’s disputed waters from 1 January has considerably ratcheted up the tension. According to the rules, the police can take necessary measures to stop international ships or “to force them into changing or reversing course.”

AFP

Asean members seek India's help on South China Sea disputes

22/12/2012- Southeast Asian countries have urged India to intervene to help resolve bitter territorial disputes with China in the South China Sea.

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh (in blue turban) and Asean leaders wave flags at their summit in New Delhi. Photo: Reuters

Asean called on India, which vowed to promote co-operation on trade and maritime security with the bloc, to take a more decisive stance in the region.

Individual countries in the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations went further. Vietnamese Premier Nguyen Tan Dung asked for New Delhi's direct intervention over South China Sea territorial disputes, while Myanmese President Thein Sein said India's role was "crucial" to ensuring peace and stability in the region.

In a vision statement agreed at the summit, the two sides set their sights on a new "strategic partnership" that would bring closer political, security and economic co-operation.

Significantly, they underlined the need for freedom of navigation, a contentious issue because of competing claims with China over parts of the South China Sea, though there was no mention of China in their statement. The Philippines and Vietnam referred to tensions in their region, but India's foreign minister sought to distance New Delhi from the wrangling over the South China Sea.

"There are fundamental issues there that do not require India's intervention," External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid told a news conference, adding that issues of sovereignty "need to be resolved between the countries concerned".

An Asean summit ended in acrimony last month over China's assertiveness in the South China Sea, with its leaders failing to agree on a concluding joint statement.

China claims most of the South China Sea, including waters close to its neighbours' shores which include major sea lanes and are believed to hold vast mineral and oil resources.

China's claim is contested by the Philippines as well as Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam, which have overlapping claims to some or all of the same areas.

"Doing something about it includes not doing something about it," Khurshid said, adding that issues of sovereignty "need to be resolved between the countries concerned".

"China knows it, India knows it - that there is too much to lose if we don't overcome issues from time to time," he said.

Last month, China announced a plan to board and search ships that illegally enter what it considers its territory in the South China Sea, prompting Asean's secretary general to warn this could spark naval clashes.

"The need to maintain a high level of maritime security and freedom of navigation offers us ... an opportunity for enhanced co-operation," Philippine Vice- President Jejomar Binay said.

Although India has no territorial claim in the region, it is hungry for energy and is exploring for oil and gas with Vietnam in an area contested by China. In future, it is expected to ship liquefied natural gas from Russia through the Malacca Strait.

This month, India's navy chief said he was ready to deploy vessels to the South China Sea to protect exploration interests.

Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono told the summit that closer maritime co-operation with India was needed because 70 per cent of the world's traffic in petroleum products went via the Indian Ocean.

The New Delhi summit underscored India's growing role in one of the world's fastest-growing regions.

Twenty years after India launched a 'Look East' diplomatic push to promote trade with a neglected neighbouring region, the relationship is finally beginning to gain traction. Annual trade has nearly doubled in four years and India's growing economic clout makes it appealing as a balance to other Asian powers. However, China's trade relations and links with Asean are far deeper than India's.

Agence France-Presse, Reuters