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India’s Strategic Stakes in the South China Sea
Abhijit Singh
In the wake of the U.S. Navy’s recent freedom of navigation patrols in
the South China Sea in November 2015, maritime stability in Southeast
Asia has been a hot topic of discussion in Asian strategic circles. The
passage of USS Lassen within twelve nautical miles of Subi Reef in the
Spratly Islands group was followed with a fly-by over the same area by U.S.
B-52 bombers, leading to fears of an escalation in tensions between the
United States and China.
Despite some commentary that deemed the naval patrols as a needless
provocation, 1 many regional analysts saw the patrols as an essential
undertaking—important to highlight an issue of maritime principle to
China. 2 Washington, proponents held, was well within its right to warn
Beijing of the illegality of its reclamation in the South China Sea, as well
as to underscore the invalidity of its territorial claims in the vicinity of
artificially constructed islands. Unsurprisingly, many regional states came
out in support of the U.S. decision to challenge China’s island building.
Notwithstanding its vastly improved strategic relations with Washington,
New Delhi, however, surprised regional watchers by maintaining a studious
silence. This essay examines India’s understanding of the South China Sea
disputes and assesses the implications of instability in this critical region for
Indian interests and the Indo-Pacific more broadly.
India’s Perspective on the South China Sea
India’s reluctance to endorse a maneuver meant expressly to emphasize
access to the maritime commons appeared odd since it lately has been
vocal about the need to ensure freedom of navigation in the South China
Sea, even raising pointed concerns over the growing state of insecurity in
abhijit singh is a Research Fellow at the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses in New Delhi.
He can be reached at .
1 Sam Bateman, “What Is the U.S. Protesting in the South China Sea?” East Asia Forum, October 20,
2015 u http://www.eastasiaforum.org/2015/10/20/what-is-the-us-protesting-in-the-south-china-sea.
2 Richard Javad Heydarian, “Showdown in the South China Sea: America Takes On China,” National
Interest, October 27, 2015 u http://nationalinterest.org/feature/showdown-the-south-china-seaamerica-takes-china-14173.
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