With China refusing to soften its stand on blacklisting Masood Azhar and supporting India's bid for membership in the Nuclear Supplier's Group (NSG), New Delhi seems to have adopted a hot pursuit policy on the South China Sea. The Indian government has started following a more bold and aggressive policy on the maritime dispute.

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Sources in New Delhi claim that last month India proposed to Singapore to include the Permanent Court of Arbitration's ruling on the South China Sea in a joint statement. The proposal was made in the run up to Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's visit to India.

Singapore, which is not a claimant in the maritime dispute, reportedly rejected New Delhi's proposal. This was apparently done to safeguard its diplomatic ties with China, which is already miffed over Singapore's decision to align with the U.S. on the maritime dispute. A top Chinese diplomat had in fact warned Lee Hsien Loong's government in August to stay out of the South China Sea row.

India apparently decided to follow an aggressive policy on South China Sea in September when Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Vietnam ahead of the G20 Hummit. New Delhi and Hanoi had made specific mention of the international tribunal's verdict on the maritime dispute in their joint statement.    

The move is a clear departure from India's traditional policy, which was characterised by an indirect interference in the issue through military and financial assistance to rival claimants in the dispute.    

Experts say that the Indian government wants to send a clear message to Beijing that it would not sit silent after getting snubbed repeatedly by China.

Meanwhile, Indian media claim that Japan is encouraging New Delhi to speak its mind on the South China Sea dispute. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe may include the international tribunal's verdict in a joint statement after their meeting next week.

Modi is also under immense pressure to play hardball with China. Some Indian politicians have reached a consensus that New Delhi must exploit the Permanent Court of Arbitration's unprecedented verdict on the South China Sea, which was delivered in July.

The verdict had dismissed Beijing's claim of ownership over the South China Sea as "illegal." The verdict has, however, been dismissed by Beijing.

TagsSouth China Sea Dispute, India, India and China, India South China Sea Dispute