Swedish defense chief says actions against Philippines in South China Sea threaten global security
abcnews.go.com

... Sweden's defense chief has expressed alarm over Beijing's repeated dangerous maneuvers against Philippine vessels in the disputed South China Sea, saying such actions threaten local and global security, undermine regional stability and underscore the need to invest "for our security and freedom."

Defense Minister Pl Jonson spoke Thursday night in a diplomatic reception in Manila for Sweden's national day after meeting his Philippine counterpart, Gilberto Teodoro Jr., on expanding defense relations. Sweden is one of the possible sources of supersonic fighter jets that the Philippines plans to acquire as its military shifts focus from decades of fighting communist and Muslim insurgencies to territorial defense.

"Let me express my deep concern on the repeated dangerous maneuvers against Philippines vessels that have been taking place in the West Philippine Sea and the South China Sea," Jonson said. He did not mention China in his speech but drew applause from an audience that included top Philippine military and security officials and Western and Asian diplomats.

Jonson used the name the Philippines has adopted for the stretch of waters called the exclusive economic zone extending from its western coast to the South China Sea, which Beijing claims virtually in its entirety and guards closely with its coast guard, navy and other ships.

Confrontations between Chinese and Philippine government ships over two disputed shoals have flared alarmingly since last year, causing collisions. ...

Calls in US for NATO-like alliance in Indo-Pacific (December 2023)
www.dw.com

... A group of conservative US politicians has proposed a bill to Congress that would establish a fact-finding panel as the first step in the creation of an Indo-Pacific version of NATO that could act as a deterrent against growing aggression in the region by China and North Korea.

While there are many who agree the proposal could bring together like-minded nations in a military alliance, the broader sense is that the proposal is doomed to fail.

The Indo-Pacific Treaty Organization Act was submitted by Republican Rep. Mike Lawler of New York. "Our adversaries " China, Russia, Iran and North Korea " have forged an unholy alliance to disrupt and destabilize the globe," he said in a statement released by his office in early December.

"A collective security agreement has the potential to deter aggression and protect the forces of democracy in the Indo-Pacific," the statement added. "It is crucial that the democracies of the region and the world work in unison to combat this rising threat." ...