India reaffirms importance of sea routes through East Sea
(VOVWORLD) - Sea routes through the East Sea are critical for peace, stability, prosperity, and development in the Indo-Pacific region, Vijay Thakur Singh, Secretary of India’s External Affairs Ministry said Thursday.
 Vietnam Coast Guard Vessel 8001 on the East Sea (Photo: Lam Khanh/VNA) |
At a conference marking 3 years of the Vietnam-India Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, she said India has been very clear that it sees the Indo-Pacific as an open, inclusive, and rule-based region. The East Sea is critically important, she added, as it is an international waterway over which 5 trillion USD worth of trade moves, and more than 30 percent of the international supply of crude oil transits through these waters.