India on Thursday said any code of conduct for the South China Sea must adhere to international maritime law, particularly the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), amid reports of progress in negotiations between China and ASEAN on a proposed pact to prevent confrontations in the disputed waters.
"Our position on this is very clear. This is a very important international waterway. So, whatever code of conduct is developed must be compliant with international maritime law, in particular the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)," Rudrendra Tandon, Secretary (East) in the Ministry of External Affairs, said.
He also stressed that the proposed pact must respect the legitimate rights of countries not involved in the negotiations.
"Beyond that, I don't think there has been any development in the code of conduct negotiations," Tandon said, responding to a question at a media briefing on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's upcoming visit to Manila for the India-ASEAN Summit and related meetings.
China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have been negotiating the proposed code of conduct for over a decade, seeking to manage tensions in the strategically important waterway, where several countries have competing territorial claims.
China claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea, a region rich in hydrocarbon resources, while Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines and Brunei have overlapping claims.
India, along with several other countries, has consistently called for the peaceful resolution of disputes and respect for international law, particularly UNCLOS.
China and ASEAN reportedly held at least 10 major rounds of negotiations this year. However, despite progress, the two sides are unlikely to finalise the agreement by the end of this year, as originally envisaged.
(With inputs from PTI)
