Roundtable On "South China Sea Disputes"

Conference Room No.2 India International Centre, Lodhi Road, New Delhi

DPG organized a round table on South China Sea disputes on July 21, 2016.  The event was well attended by around 50 participants from think tanks, the strategic community and diplomats.

The round table focused on the background to the disputes, the implications of the PCA Tribunal’s ruling of July 12, 2016 on maritime rights in the South China Sea, the reaction of China and other powers and the geo-strategic implications for India.  Speakers and participants pointed to the need for moving beyond the present impasse towards diplomatic solutions, which required restraint and measured responses from all concerned.  In this context, India’s response has been suitably nuanced and conciliatory in tone, but at the same time preserves India’s considerable security and economic interests in the South China Sea.  There was agreement that in addition to upholding a rules-based regional order and supporting cooperative regional security architecture, India must also continue to build capacity for net security provision and thereby provide greater reassurance for its South East Asian neighbours.