The Philippines has stepped up efforts to expand the so-called “Squad” alliance to include India and South Korea, with military officials pushing for broader regional cooperation to counter China’s growing assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific.
Analysts say expanding the Squad – an informal security partnership between the Philippines, the US, Japan, and Australia focused on military cooperation, intelligence-sharing and joint exercises – would improve surveillance and response capabilities. This would hinder Beijing’s operations in contested waters and increase the chances of a coordinated regional response to Chinese provocations.