{"id":251946,"date":"2023-07-13T20:37:57","date_gmt":"2023-07-13T15:07:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.forumias.com\/?p=251946"},"modified":"2023-08-31T12:52:57","modified_gmt":"2023-08-31T07:22:57","slug":"quiet-diplomacy-could-ease-south-china-sea-tensions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/quiet-diplomacy-could-ease-south-china-sea-tensions\/","title":{"rendered":"Quiet diplomacy could ease South China Sea tensions"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Source<\/strong>– The post is based on the article \u201cQuiet diplomacy could ease South China Sea tensions\u201d <\/strong>published in \u201cThe Hindu\u201d <\/strong>on 13th July 2023<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Syllabus: <\/strong>GS2- Bilateral and regional groupings<\/p>\n

Relevance:<\/strong> India and Philippines relationship<\/p>\n

News-<\/strong>. The Foreign Ministers of India and the Philippines met at the fifth meeting of the Philippines-India Joint Commission on Bilateral Cooperation, in New Delhi, on June 29.<\/p>\n

What were the important outcomes of the meeting?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

It was decided to open the resident defence attach\u00e9 office<\/strong> in Manila; and increased cooperation <\/strong>between the Coast Guards of the two countries.<\/p>\n

Both agreed for acquisition of naval assets<\/strong> by Manila under a concessional line of credit <\/strong>from Delhi; expansion of training and joint exercises on maritime security and disaster responses<\/strong> and commencing a maritime dialogue. <\/strong><\/p>\n

Most notable development was the agreement on regional and multilateral issues<\/strong>, particularly on the South China Sea.<\/p>\n

While India restated its consistent stance of adhering to international law, including the United UNCLOS<\/strong>, it notably called for the respect of the 2016 Arbitral Award on the South China Sea.<\/strong> This marks a departure from India’s previous position.<\/p>\n

What was the decision of the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in a case related to the South China Sea dispute to address conflicts with China?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The arbitration process considered various aspects, including maritime rights, the status of specific marine features, historical rights, and the legality of certain Chinese actions<\/strong> in the South China Sea, which Manila deemed as unlawful.<\/p>\n

According to UNCLOS Article 296<\/strong>I, the tribunal’s decision is considered “final and binding.” <\/strong>The PCA rejected China’s claim of historical rights in the South China Sea<\/strong> and the unanimous decision favoured the Philippines.<\/p>\n

The tribunal also declared that any previous claims to resources within the “nine-dash line” <\/strong>were not grounded on a legal basis.<\/p>\n

It concluded that China’s development and land reclamation activities had significantly altered the reefs, which violated its commitments under UNCLOS. <\/strong><\/p>\n

The tribunal further criticised China for causing irreversible damage to the marine environment<\/strong> and destroying evidence of the natural condition of features in the South China Sea.<\/p>\n

The tribunal found China guilty of violating the Philippines’ sovereign rights in its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)<\/strong> by interfering with fishing and petroleum exploration, constructing artificial islands, and failing to prevent Chinese fishermen from operating in the area.<\/p>\n

The tribunal also determined that China had no legal basis to assert historic rights<\/strong> to resources within the sea areas falling under the tribunal’s jurisdiction.<\/p>\n

What is the importance of the South China Sea?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The South China Sea holds significant importance as a crucial maritime passageway connecting the Pacific and Indian Oceans<\/strong>. It plays a vital role in global geopolitics, economy, and strategic interests. <\/strong><\/p>\n

Maintaining free and stable maritime routes<\/strong> is essential for global trade and the world economy<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

What is the way forward to resolve the South China Sea conflict?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Despite the ruling by the PCA, the actual situation on the ground remains unchanged, making it practically challenging to enforce the decision.<\/p>\n

Recognizing that the South China Sea issue necessitates a political framework<\/strong>, dialogue becomes the key to resolving it.<\/p>\n

Leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) should pursue a political solution through “quiet diplomacy”<\/strong> since the prospects of resolving the matter purely through legal means are limited.<\/p>\n

The responsibility of establishing a “political framework”<\/strong> and making progress towards a legally binding “code of conduct” primarily lies with ASEAN’s leaders. It is essential for ASEAN nations to foster greater understanding and unity among themselves.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Source– The post is based on the article \u201cQuiet diplomacy could ease South China Sea tensions\u201d published in \u201cThe Hindu\u201d on 13th July 2023. Syllabus: GS2- Bilateral and regional groupings Relevance: India and Philippines relationship News-. The Foreign Ministers of India and the Philippines met at the fifth meeting of the Philippines-India Joint Commission on… Continue reading Quiet diplomacy could ease South China Sea tensions<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10320,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1230,9],"tags":[212,239,238,10498],"class_list":["post-251946","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-9-pm-daily-articles","category-public","tag-gs-paper-2","tag-international-relations","tag-ir","tag-the-hindu","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","views":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/251946","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10320"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=251946"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/251946\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=251946"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=251946"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=251946"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}