News Highlight
India hopes the ongoing negotiations on the Code of Conduct for the South China Sea will be entirely consistent with international law.
Key Takeaway
- The Indian defence minister is currently visiting Cambodia to attend the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus and the maiden India-ASEAN Defence Ministers meeting.
South China Sea
- About
- The South China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean.
- Littoral states
- China, Taiwan, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, Singapore and Vietnam.
- Straits
- It is connected by Taiwan Strait with the East China Sea and Luzon Strait with the Philippine Sea.
- Overall issue
- China claims almost all of the resource-rich sea, through which trillions of dollars in shipping trade passes annually, with competing claims from Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam.
- Contesting Claims Over Islands
- China, Taiwan and Vietnam claim the Paracel Islands.
- China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Brunei and the Philippines claim the Spratly Islands.
- The Philippines, China and Taiwan claim the Scarborough Shoal.
Significance of the South China Sea
- Resources
- The Sea is a significant source of natural resources for the different territories.
- It is a source of about 10 per cent of the country’s fishery, making it an essential food source for hundreds of people.
- Trade route
- The route passing through it, Malacca Strait, is home to 55% of the trade. It is one of the busiest routes for trade.
- Strategic Importance
- This sea holds tremendous strategic importance for its location as it connects the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean (Strait of Malacca).
ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM Plus)
- About
- The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is a regional organisation which was established to promote political and social stability amid rising tensions among the Asia-Pacific’s post-colonial states.
- Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam
- ADMM Plus
- The 2nd ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting (ADMM) in 2007 in Singapore adopted a resolution to establish the ADMM-Plus.
- The first ADMM-Plus was convened in Hanoi, Vietnam, in 2010.
- Objective
- The ADMM-Plus is a platform for ASEAN (The Association of Southeast Asian Nations), and its eight Dialogue Partners to strengthen security and defence cooperation for peace, stability, and development in the region.
- Membership
- The ADMM-Plus countries include ten ASEAN Member States and eight Plus countries: Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea, the Russian Federation, and the United States.
Content Source: The hindu