India, Japan, US for freedom of navigation, territorial integrity

Sushma Swaraj with US Secretary of State Rex W Tillerson and her Japan counterpart Taro Kono in New York. Reuters

Days after New Delhi and Tokyo made common cause on Chinese actions in South China Sea and the One Belt One Road project, foreign ministers of India, the US and Japan Monday discussed both issues and emphasised the need to ensure freedom of navigation and respect for territorial integrity, a Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) statement said. External Affairs minister Sushma Swaraj, US Secretary of State Rex W Tillerson and Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono met in New York on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly under the rubric of India-US-Japan trilateral foreign ministerial meeting.

The MEA statement said the ministers “emphasised the need for ensuring freedom of navigation, respect for international law and peaceful resolution of disputes”. These are exactly the same phrases used in India’s joint statements with the US in June and with Japan last week — as they obliquely refer to China’s actions in South China Sea. However, last week, the India-Japan joint statement dropped any explicit mention of South China Sea, a departure from the previous joint statement in 2016.

The statement also said that “on connectivity initiatives, the importance of basing them on universally recognised international norms, prudent financing and respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity was underlined”. This is a reference to India’s reservations on One Belt One Road project, since the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor passes through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. The statement uses the same terms as in India’s official statement while boycotting Chinese President Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road initiative meeting in Beijing in May. These terms were also used in the joint statement during Japanese PM Shinzo Abe’s visit to Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar last week.

On North Korea, the MEA statement said “Swaraj deplored DPRK’s recent actions and stated that its proliferation linkages must be explored and those involved be held accountable”, obliquely referring to Pakistan and China. India has, in the past, pointed to links between Pakistan and Chinese nuclear programmes and the North Korean programme.

The three ministers directed their senior officials to explore practical steps to enhance cooperation, the statement said, implying that the foreign secretaries and the joint secretaries will have conversations on the issues concerned. Swaraj is in New York to represent India at the annual session of the UN General Assembly, which she will address on September 23.

During her week-long stay, Swaraj is expected to hold more than a dozen bilateral and trilateral meetings with leaders attending the session. Swaraj will also participate in a high-level meeting on UN reforms, hosted and chaired by US President Donald Trump. India is among the 120 countries which have supported the reform efforts of the UN Secretary General.

In a preview of Swaraj’s engagements, India’s Permanent Representative at the UN, Syed Akbaruddin had said that issues of climate change, terrorism, people centric migration and peacekeeping are key focus areas for India this year. Akbaruddin, in an interaction with Indian reporters, had ruled out a bilateral meeting between Swaraj and her Pakistan counterpart Khawaja Asif. However, the two leaders are likely to encounter each other at several multilateral meetings, including that of SAARC and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.