Philippine Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Evan P. Garcia called anew on the international community to press for a cessation of massive reclamation activities in the South China Sea.
“Such unbridled reclamation activity worsens an already sensitive geopolitical situation and raises the specter of increasing militarization,” Undersecretary Garcia said at the 17th ASEAN-India Senior Officials Meeting (SOM) held in New Delhi on March 14. Concerns regarding recent developments in the South China Sea were discussed at the meeting.
Indian Minister of External Affairs Anil Wadha thanked the Philippines for providing India with updates on developments in the South China Sea. Noting that an important dimension of the ASEAN-India strategic partnership is its increasing relevance to the political security of the region, Minister Wadha assured the Philippines that India will encourage the peaceful resolution of the dispute.
The 17th ASEAN-India SOM undertook a comprehensive review of the entire gamut of ASEAN-India relations and exchanged views on regional and global issues of mutual interest. The importance of improving connectivity, of expanding economic and commercial ties, of deepening cultural bonds and of Indian engagement in ASEAN efforts to build regional political and security architecture was emphasized.
In this regard, the Philippines welcomed New Delhi’s new “Act East” policy as an expression of India’s enduring commitment to closer cooperation with ASEAN.
The overall theme of the meeting, which was co-chaired by Minister Wadha and Brunei Permanent Secretary Dato Erywan Pehin Yusof and attended by all ASEAN Member States, was “ASEAN-India: Progress and Prosperity”. (DFA)