MANILA — A security grouping in South-east Asia similar to Nato is not possible at present given diverging interests and alliances in the region, Philippine Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro said on Nov 5.
Philippine Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro said Asean's complex "dichotomies and divergence in country interests" would make it challenging to set up a unified military alliance.
"For example, we have a pre-Asean defence alliance with the United States. We continue to build alliances with like-minded countries," he said in a security forum in Manila.The remarks come after new Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, prior to taking office, had floated the idea of establishing an "Asian Nato", a proposal that has gained no traction and was rejected by the US and India.
China and US ally the Philippines have been at loggerheads over a series of confrontations near disputed areas in the South China Sea. "Getting some principles or some reactions regarding the expansive activities and admittedly illegal activities of China in the South China Sea is a very good first step and that's what we should be working on," Teodoro said.
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