Philippines Look to Include India, South Korea in Squad Group

The Philippines and its allies are trying to expand the Squad grouping of nations to include India and South Korea to counter China in the Indo-Pacific region, the Philippines' Armed Forces chief General Romeo S. Brawner said on Wednesday.

The Squad is an informal multilateral grouping made up of Australia, Japan, the Philippines and the United States, whose defence forces have conducted joint maritime activities in the Philippines' exclusive economic zone in the South China Sea since last year.

Brawner's remarks at the Raisina Dialogue security forum in New Delhi come at a time when Manila and Beijing have had a series of escalating confrontations in the disputed waters of the South China Sea.

China claims almost all of the strategic waterway - through which $3 trillion in commerce moves annually - disregarding sovereignty claims by the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam. A 2016 arbitration ruling invalidated China's expansive claim but Beijing does not recognise the decision.

Brawner said his country was making efforts to enhance its deterrence capabilities, including by working with partners in the Squad, which he said was an informal collaboration between the four nations on military aspects, intelligence sharing, and joint exercises and operations.

"Together with