India, China Open Maritime Talks
By Aiswarya Lakshmi
Friday, February 5, 2016
Amid enduring tensions over the South China Sea, India and China held inaugural round of talks on maritime cooperation on February 04 in New Delhi.
The meeting of New Delhi and Beijing officials covered a gamut of issues of "mutual interest and prospects for maritime cooperation between the two countries", an official statement said.
"The dialogue covered exchange of perspectives on maritime security, developments in international regimes such as the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and International Maritime Organisation (IMO) and prospects for maritime cooperation," read the statement.
The Indian delegation was led by Amandeep Singh Gill, joint secretary (Disarmament and International Security Affairs), in the external affairs ministry and the Chinese delegation was led by Kong Xuanyou, assistant minister of foreign affairs of China.
Earlier, China desired to step up maritime cooperation and dialogue with India and other South Asian countries to allay their concerns over increased Chinese naval activity in the Indian Ocean.
The next round of dialogue will be held in Beijing on a mutually convenient date.
India has been supporting freedom of navigation and access to resources in the South China Sea in accordance with principles of international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.