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Brawner wants South Korea to join Indo-Pacific alliance ‘Squad’
Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief General Romeo Brawner Jr. wanted South Korea to be a part of the alliance for a free Indo-Pacific region dubbed as the “Squad.”
“We believe that they also have a stake in the security aspect of the region,” Brawner said in an ambush interview on Wednesday.
“Even if we say this is an informal security architecture, we believe that more countries joining this would be beneficial because we are promoting in fact the same objectives, which is to promote a free and open Indo-Pacific and also a rules-based international order,” he added.
The United States assembled the group including Australia, Japan, and the Philippines, sharing a vision for peace, stability and deterrence in the Indo-Pacific.
Asked if the Squad was formed to counter China, Brawner said the alliance was not created to counter any country but to strengthen their capabilities.
“Because the more countries that you have on your side, the better. You become stronger as a collective group rather than individual countries with their own interests. Because we found out that we in fact have common interests. Our countries have common interests,” he said.
The AFP said the 6th Multilateral Maritime Cooperative Activity (MMCA) was conducted to show "a collective commitment to strengthen regional and international cooperation in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific."
"This underscores our shared commitments to upholding the right to freedom of navigation and overflight, other lawful uses of the sea and international airspace, as well as respect for maritime rights under international law, as reflected in the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)," the AFP said.
Several Chinese warships were monitored during the joint drills, according to the AFP.
Tensions continue as Beijing claims almost all of the South China Sea, a conduit for more than $3 trillion of annual shipborne commerce, including parts claimed by the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei.
Parts of the South China Sea that fall within Philippine territory have been renamed by the government as West Philippine Sea to reinforce the country’s claim.
The West Philippine Sea refers to the maritime areas on the western side of the Philippine archipelago including Luzon Sea and the waters around, within and adjacent to the Kalayaan Island Group and Bajo de Masinloc.
In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague ruled in favor of the Philippines over China's claims in the South China Sea, saying that it had "no legal basis."
China has refused to recognize the decision.—Joviland Rita/AOL, GMA Integrated News
