Amidst China's muscle-flexing on maritime issues, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday underlined the need for all nations to respect and facilitate freedom of navigation and overflight and unimpeded commerce.
India supported consensus-based principles and a peaceful, open, rule-based and stable world order and envision Indian Ocean Region (IOR) with the universal values of rule-based freedom of navigation and free trade in which the interests of all participating countries were protected, he said addressing the five-day second edition of the naval Commanders' conference here.
Freedom of navigation in oceans is governed by rules-based order and no power or group of powers should have the…
