With China’s aggressive stance in the Indo-Pacific and increased presence in the Indian Ocean, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday stressed the need for rule-based and open Indo-Pacific.  He said it is essential for regional and global prosperity.

Making this point here, he also said the Indo-Pacific region is an important aspect of India’s maritime security.  Addressing the Indian Coast Guards(ICG)commanders’ annual conference here, Rajnath said “the growing regional and global trade in this region has brought forth new challenges. Geopolitical tensions and clash of strategic interests have led to traditional security challenges.

 Terrorism, drug trafficking and piracy are some non-traditional challenges in front of us today. The entire region is being affected by these challenges. Being a responsible maritime power, we have a clear interest to create a rule-based, peaceful and stable environment. Such a rule based environment is essential for both regional and global prosperity. In such a situation, the ICG has a big role to play,” he said.

The deefence minister stressed on the need to maintain maritime preparedness in the constantly-changing global scenario, terming it as a crucial aspect which safeguards the economic and strategic interests of a nation. He pointed out that there has been a shift in India’s maritime security needs due to the ever-evolving global situation.

Recalling the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, Rajnath said, the incident showed that for a long time the country’s orientation was focused on the security of land borders and not much attention was paid to coastal security.

He lauded the ICG for continuously enhancing its capability in the last few years in line with the Government’s vision and playing a key role in bolstering coastal security. Due to these efforts, the country has not witnessed any terror activity from the sea route since the 2008 Mumbai attacks, he said.