India at the UN High Table

Amulya Ganguli

India at the UN High Table

The statement on maritime security adopted by the UN Security Council which met under Narendra Modi’s chairmanship was the first such document on the subject. However, the process was not smooth as China initially objected to the language relating to the Convention on the Law of the Sea. But, apparently, India’s negotiating skills which were put into operation well before the meeting was held ultimately ensured the statement’s unanimous adoption.

The basis of the negotiations was the prime minister’s emphasis on the concept of SAGAR or Security and Growth for All in the Region, and the IPOI or the Indo-Pacific Oceans’ initiative. India’s role as the “net security provider” in the Indian Ocean was acknowledged at the meeting. The significance of the meeting was enhanced by the presence of two presidents, two prime ministers and 10 ministers, including seven foreign ministers. The fact that Vladimir Putin was present via a video link after a gap of 16 years underlined the importance which Russia attached to the Indian initiative on maritime security and also on Indo-Russian relations.

But the big takeaway from the meeting was China’s acquiescence in the Convention on the Law of the Sea which it had earlier opposed. What this means is that a legal framework is now in place to counter lawless activities in the seas. As the prime minister said, “oceans are our shared heritage. They are also the lifeline of international trade. Above all, they are a key to our planet’s future. However, today, this common maritime heritage of ours faces various types of threats. Maritime routes are being misused for piracy and terrorism”.

Interestingly, at about the same time as the security council meeting was held, where India is the current chairman, defence minister Rajnath Singh brought up the subject of the freedom of navigation and unimpeded commercial activity in international waters such as the South China Sea. The success or failure of the security council statement will depend, therefore, on what China does in South China Sea over which it claims total control.

Having earlier refused to abide by the diktat of an international arbitration tribunal, constituted under the Law of the Sea, against the exercise of such sovereignty, China may resent any sign of a change in the conduct of other countries in the wake of the security council statement. However, it is not only China which ignored the tribunal, but also Taiwan which wanted the disputes in the South China Sea to be resolved through bilateral negotiations.

The meeting of minds between China and Taiwan, which are not on the friendliest of terms, is significant, for it shows how the Chinese as a community harbour the mindset of being the denizens of a mythical Middle Kingdom in the heart of Asia to which all the neighbours owe allegiance. This mentality is also reflected in the fact that there is no difference in the attitudes of the communist and nationalist Chinese over their claims on the territories of India and other countries. The nationalists were represented by the Kuomintang who fled to Taiwan after the communist take over of the mainland in 1949.

Whatever may be the prognostications on Chinese intentions, it is piracy on the high seas which is a clear and present danger to governments around the world. It is also a constant threat as the brigands can suddenly pounce on a ship anywhere on the sea routes. Although there has been a decline in recent years in the incidents of piracy, presumably because the shipping operators have begun to take greater protective measures, piracy remains a threat in a manner reminiscent of the earlier centuries when the pirates were seemingly omnipresent and featured in adventure stories for children.

There is a difference, however, between then and now, for today’s pirates are better armed with assault rifles and light machine guns. They are also aware of the fact that modern cargo vessels and even transport ships do not carry too many crew members. So, in a way, they are more vulnerable. The US Merchant Marine has estimated that global piracy costs the shippers anything from $ 4.9 billion to $ 8.3 billion in a year. The latest security council initiative, therefore, has come not a moment too soon. Its success will be measured both from a  decline in piracy and a check on China’s expansionist ambitions.

For India, the coincidence of heading the 15-member security council in the month when the country is celebrating the 75th year of its independence has been highlighted by India’s permanent representative at the UN, T.S. Tirumurti. Even if it is a rotating presidency, the honour is unequivocal.

It is also an endorsement of India’s longstanding claim to be a permanent member of the council (at present it is in the midst of a two-year non-permanent stint) which has the support of four of the five Big Five – the US, Britain, France and Russia with China being the only outlier. But China will know that India is advancing towards being a permanent member, a position which was offered to India in 1950, but India demurred, saying that it should be taken away from Kuomintang-ruled Taiwan and given to communist China.

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