Singapore, India take stance in South China Sea row
India and Singapore asserts its stance in South China Sea saying no threat or force should prevail in the maritime dispute between China and its smaller neighbors like the Philippines, reports Philstar.
Both countries have expressed their official positions in joint statements with the United States on the years-long tension due to overlapping claims of jurisdiction in the South China Sea.
The US has already challenged the Chinese contention and India has also said publicly that the maritime area is an open sea in which any country can roam freely.
Singapore urged claimant states to manage the disputes through international institutions such as the ASEAN, East Asia Summit and the ASEAN Regional Forum. Singapore also believes the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) can be an effective avenue in international law to resolve this dispute.
India, meanwhile, said that stability in the strategic waterway is necessary for economic prosperity in the region.
"We call on all parties to avoid the threat or use of force and pursue resolution of territorial and maritime disputes through all peaceful means, in accordance with universally recognized principles of international law, including [UNCLOS]," New Delhi's joint pronouncement with Washington says.
