India to lend its strength to keep seas 'safe, secure and free', says Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said India would work with countries in the region and beyond, including the United States and Russia, and East Asia Summit partners, to ensure that commons such as ocean, space and cyber remain avenues of shared prosperity and not become new theatres of contests.

"India will lend its strength to keep the seas safe, secure and free for the benefit of all," he said, while delivering the 37th Singapore Lecture here.

The Prime Minister's statement holds importance in view of China claiming nearly all of the South China Sea as its own territory, citing a "nine-dash line" that China drew up at the end of World War 2, which is considered outrageous by various Asian nations that have conflicting claims, and by the US, which has long viewed the sea-a vital trade route-as international waters.

"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. This is why we must all come together, in 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," the Prime Minister added.