International laws aren`t followed on China Sea: Alok Bansal

Colombo [Sri Lanka], Sept 2 (ANI): Agreeing with Sri Lankan Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe that there is no code of conduct on South China Sea, India Foundation director Alok Bansal said that International laws are not followed on the China Sea.

"A code of conduct was made which talked about how the countries will behave with each other which is very important," Alok Bansal told ANI here of Friday at the sidelines of Indian Ocean Conference in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Former army chief General V.P. Malik said that after the conference, there will be a lot more cooperation.

"The whole emphasis was of the conference was on connectivity, greater cooperation, greater institutional interaction and networking. And I think with such thoughts, the conference was pretty successful," Ret. General Malik told ANI at the event.

He further said that China emphasized on non-securitization, adding, "Some of the delegates did bring out some of the Chinese activities which are taking place in South China Sea and other places but the whole discussion was quite open and transparent."

Malik also said that there should be no restrictions on the movement across the seas.

"Oceans have now become highways and unless there is a movement possible. If the movements are restricted we will not achieve the objective of peace progress and prospects," he said.

Earlier, Biju Janata Dal (BJD) MP Baijayant 'Jay' Panda stated that India's role is to help the idea of biennial and stable security and economic construction in Indian Ocean region.

Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) National General Secretary Ram Madhav, had stated, at the Indian Ocean Conference, "Where China claimed to be not against freedom of navigation, other nations raised their concerns on the issue of freedom of navigation in China Sea."

While Foreign Secretary Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar addressing the second Indian Ocean Conference here, on Friday, said that Indian Ocean must be approached with empathy, not as a business.

On the first day of the event (on August 31), External Affair Minister (EAM) Sushma Swaraj said that safety and security of the Indian Ocean is paramount for New Delhi.

"Our vision for the Indian Ocean region is to preserve its organic unity, while advancing cooperation. We envisage Indian Ocean as an engine for growth and prosperity in our region and beyond. It is of utmost importance that these waters remain safe and secure. This vision was initiated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in March 2015 when we put forward the concept of SAGAR (Security and Growth for all in the Region). This is a clear high level articulation of India's vision for the Indian Ocean," she said at the conference in Colombo.

India Foundation, a Delhi-based think tank in collaboration with Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Singapore, and National Institute of Fundamental Studies (NIFS), Colombo has organized the Indian Ocean Conference 2017. (ANI)

This story has not been edited. It has been published as provided by ANI