Sea line of communication passing through South China Sea critical: Jaishankar
Vientiane: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Saturday stressed the need for a substantive and effective code of conduct to secure sea lines of communication in the South China Sea which he said are critical for peace and stability of the Indo-Pacific region, amidst growing concerns about China’s maritime coercion.

Addressing the 14th East Asia Summit (EAS) Foreign Ministers Meeting in Laos’s capital Vientiane, Jaishankar said the EAS process will complete two decades next year and India will contribute towards a stronger EAS process.

He said India will continue to uphold ASEAN unity and centrality through our Act East Policy.

Talking about maritime security, Jaishankar said: the “Sea Lines of Communication (SLOC) passing through the South China Sea are critical for peace, stability, prosperity and development of the Indo-Pacific region.”

SLOC is a term describing the primary maritime routes between ports, used for trade, logistics and naval forces.

The “Code of Conduct should be substantive and effective, consistent with international law and should not prejudice legitimate rights and interest of nations not party to discussions,” he said.