Jaishankar bats for collective action to secure Indo-Pacific at ARF

India on Friday underlined the need for collective action to secure the strategically vital Indo-Pacific, where terrorism remains a common scourge.

Addressing the 26th ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) here in the Thai capital, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar enumerated India's Indo-Pacific vision.

"At the 26th #ARF Ministerial, we underlined collective action to secure the Indo-Pacific, where terrorism remains a common scourge," Jaishankar tweeted.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi enunciated India's vision of a free, open, inclusive and rules-based Indo-Pacific, of which India is an important part. He explained India's Indo-Pacific vision at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore in June 2018.

In November 2017, India, the US, Australia and Japan gave shape to the long-pending "Quad" Coalition to develop a new strategy to keep the critical sea routes in the Indo-Pacific free of any influence.

China has been expanding its military presence in the Indo-Pacific, which is a biogeographic region, comprising the Indian Ocean and the western and central Pacific Ocean, including the South China Sea.

China claims almost all of the South China Sea. Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan have counter claims over the maritime area.

The US has been pushing for a greater role for India in the Indo-Pacific which is seen by many countries as an effort to contain China's growing clout in the region.