India delivers diplomatically at the UNSC amidst US-China strategic rivalry

Despite the fact that the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) ruled in 2016 that China's operations in the South China Sea are illegal, Beijing has continued unabated, escalating tensions. The award issued by the Arbitral Tribunal in the South China Sea, which was constituted at the request of the Philippines, on July 12, 2016, was not accepted by China. According to China, the award is void ab initio and has no legal force. However, under international pressure, China agreed to establish UNCLOS precedence at the UNSC meeting.

The South China Sea has emerged as one of the major flashpoints in China's fractious and intense relationship with the United States. Dissatisfied with the resolution, the Chinese delegation took advantage of the opportunity to criticize the Quad nations, accusing Japan of dumping Fukushima-contaminated water into the Pacific and requesting that the ASEAN countries develop a code of conduct. China's illegal territorial claims in the resource-rich waters were rejected by US representative Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who also criticized China's conduct in the South China Sea and its authoritative and assertive posture. During the debate, the strategic rivalry between the United States and China resurfaced. The UN Security Council virtual meeting is the second high-level diplomatic meeting where the US and China have exchanged sharp rebukes under the Biden administration, following the diplomatic row in Alaska. After successfully containing the outbreak at home, China saw an opportunity to challenge the US's dominance in the Indo-Pacific but has encountered firm resistance from the US. The strategic rivalry between the hegemon and the challenger has since heated up.

What has been hailed as India's first UNSC-chaired meeting, which called for collaborative efforts to develop a framework for addressing maritime challenges, India successfully used a consensus-building strategy, consulting all UNSC members to find the most acceptable phrasing of the resolution. All delegates applauded PM Modi’s five-point principles, which called for the UNSC to draft a plan for international maritime security. With its growing military power, India has emerged as a major player amid the intense US-China geopolitics and growing significance of the Indo-Pacific. India has also emerged as critical in the US and other developed nations' efforts to repair the global supply chain, which the world has allowed China to dominate by default.

India's Indo-Pacific strategy has evolved. From the Look East strategy to the Act East strategy to the Indo-Pacific strategy, India has established itself as one of the leading Indo-Pacific powers. PM Modi's visions for Security and Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR), the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI), and India's growing strategic partnerships with the Quad members—the United States, Japan, and Australia—as well as like-minded China-wary Indo-Pacific nations such as Vietnam and South Korea under the ACT East strategy—are regarded as important Indo-Pacific strategies in ensuring the free nation's effort for an open and secure Indo-Pacific.

India's handling of the UNCLOS resolution at the UN Security Council strengthens New Delhi's diplomatic prowess. China has used its veto power against India's interests and has been the main impediment to India's permanent membership in the UN Security Council, as Beijing is opposed to New Delhi's inclusion in the UN's highest decision-making body. During the recent India-China violent clash at the Galwan Valley on the Indo-Tibet border, India received substantial diplomatic support from major world powers, including four P5 members – the United States, France, the United Kingdom, and Russia. The relationship between the two Asian giants has deteriorated, and their competitive relationship has further escalated amid the unfolding Indo-Pacific strategic geometry, as India's security ties with the US, Japan, Australia, and Vietnam continue to strengthen.

Historically, the United Nations Security Council has been a battleground for great power rivalry. The growing economic and strategic importance of the Indo-Pacific region, which is regarded as critical to global prosperity in the twenty-first century, has sparked a great power competition, and the top global body will be a new battleground for mastery of the waters between the Indian and Pacific Oceans.