India and the Association of South East Nations (ASEAN) recently conducted the AIME Exercise and due to this Chinese security may have been disturbed. It is said that the Chinese are worried not due to the fact that India is conducting the Exercise with China Close nations but because of its growing diplomatic success in generating mutual consensus among ASEAN members for exercising together to promote peace, security, cooperation, and stability in the South China Sea to make it obligatory for open and free trade on the international water. This is significant as ASEAN countries have not been able to agree on the Code of Conduct between China and ASEAN for the South China Sea region.
Open Message to China
India and ASEAN have conveyed their message of being Free and open to all South China Sea to China which claims the sea as their own territory and all of its resources in its own account. They have also displayed the message that China should follow the UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on Law of the Sea).
Also read: ASEAN AIME Naval Drill: Indian Eyes On China
While India and ASEAN were conducting naval exercises, the Chinese attempted to intimidate the ASEAN partners by stationing Chinese naval militia near the training location. During the sea phase of the exercise on May 7-8, the Indian Navy kept a careful eye on the Chinese navy ships. The flexing of India and ASEAN warships on a massive scale irritated China in the midst of significant debate among Indian and international strategic circles on the maintenance of peace, stability, and freedom of navigation rights in the South China Sea. By participating in multi-nation war simulations in the South China Sea, India and the navies of ASEAN nations delivered a clear message to China that the maritime area is available to all ships, military or civilian.
South China Sea being an open and free area for international navigation, it is necessary that the maritime area be guided under UNCLOS, but China on a regular basis claims that the island territories of some part of South China Sea are its own. Indian Navy had earlier conducted naval exercises with Individual countries like Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, etc, but this was the first time when India and 10 other countries combining ASEAN went together at play. This can only be termed as a masterstroke by India in bringing all ASEAN countries together for a naval Exercise. This also shows the interest that the ASEAN countries are having a keen interest in developing special relations whether military or diplomatic with India.
China with its ‘Cheque-Book’ Power has been able to have an edge over the ASEAN members, but the participation of ASEAN navies led by India signifies that the ASEAN group is committed to the South China Sea free and open trade policy irrespective of Chinese intervention and policies. China has also claimed that the Indonesian Natuna Island which comes under the Chinese proposed 9-Dash line is its own territory. This has led to the dispute between Indonesia and China. China also claims the Philippine-owned islands and has deployed its navy to deter the Philippine Navy and boating ships. China has also contested over Islands belonging to Vietnam, Indonesia, Brunei, etc.
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