New Delhi, December 6
India and China remained engaged in a wordy duel over the South China Sea today.

A day after China warned India against any unilateral attempt to pursue oil exploration in the disputed sea, New Delhi asserted that it supported freedom of navigation and access to resources in the South China Sea in accordance with international laws.

MEA spokesman Syed Akbaruddin said it was well aware of the fact that sovereignty of the South China Sea was disputed by several countries in the region.

India, he said, was not a party to the dispute but was hopeful that the sovereignty issue would be resolved peacefully by the countries in the region.

New Delhi’s comments came after Beijing yesterday responded sharply to Navy chief Admiral D K Joshi’s remarks that the Indian Navy was prepared to deploy vessels to the South China Sea to defend India’s economic interests there. “China opposes any unilateral oil and gas exploration activities in disputed areas in the South China Sea and hopes relevant countries respect China’s sovereignty and national interests, as well as the efforts of countries within the region to resolve disputes through bilateral negotiations,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman was quoted as saying.

The row between India and China over the South China issue began in October last year after India took up oil and gas exploration activity in the blocks allocated to it by Vietnam in the disputed waters.