SINGAPORE, Nov 23 - Amid a standoff between China and some East Asian nations over the South China Sea, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said oceans, space and the cyberworld should not become �new theatres of contests,� but be avenues of �shared prosperity� and offered to work in this direction.
Delivering a lecture here, he talked about how India and China have kept their border region peaceful and stable despite the �unresolved issues�, including the boundary question between the two countries.
�In the flux and transition of our times, the most critical need in this region is to uphold and strengthen the rules and norms that must define our collective behaviour,� he said.
�...We must all come together, in the East Asia Summit and other forums, to build a cooperative and collaborative future, not on the strength of a few, but on the consent of all,� Modi said in his 20-minute �37th Singapore Lecture � India�s Singapore Story� � soon after his arrival on a two-day visit.
In an apparent reference to the standoff between China and some East Asian nations over the South China Sea, he said, �India will work with countries in the region and beyond, including the US and Russia, our East Asia Summit partners, to ensure that our commons � ocean, space and cyber � remain avenues of shared prosperity, and not become new theatres of contests.� The statement is of significance as tensions are growing over South China Sea with the US now getting involved and China warning it to keep away. � PTI
