South Korea sets sights on boosting Nato ties with new strategy to tackle growing China clout

South Korea on Thursday officially revealed that it and three other allies in the Indo-Pacific are simultaneously pursuing strategies on enhancing cooperation with the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato) in a region increasingly dominated by China.

The foreign ministry said Seoul, Japan, Australia and New Zealand have kick started the process to iron out the details of the initiative called Individually Tailored Partnership Programme (ITPP).

"We are working on the wording of ITPP with Nato to conclude it," the ministry said in a press advisory obtained by This Week in Asia.

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It, however, declined to get into specifics about what is being discussed in the ongoing negotiations.

Nato is seeking to expand ties with the four nations, collectively known as the Asia-Pacific partners (AP4), and are presently described as "partners across the globe" by the multilateral military alliance to counter an assertive China and an aggressive Russia whose invasion of Ukraine has rattled the 31-member bloc.

The partners will explore collaboration on issues such as cybersecurity, space and fighting emerging and disruptive disinformation, Nikkei Asia reported.

In Nato's new strategic concept unveiled last year, it accused Beijing of posing "systemic challenges" to Euro-Atlantic security and designated Moscow as "the most significant and direct threat" to the alliance's peace and security.

Nato added it would "strengthen dialogue and cooperation with new and existing partners in the Indo-Pacific to tackle cross-regional challenges and shared security interests".

China hit back at the group, saying Nato should stop "stop provoking confrontation by drawing ideological lines".

China's foreign ministry said last week that most countries in the region "do not welcome Nato to extend its tentacles to Asia" and "do not accept the replication of block confrontation to Asia and do not allow any Cold War or hot war to repeat itself in Asia".

The South Korean foreign ministry also confirmed Nato secretary general Jens Stoltenberg has proposed to set up a liaison office in Tokyo. But the plan has faced opposition from France which fears it could send a wrong message to China and raise concerns among members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean).

French President Emmanuel Macron reportedly objected to the prospective outpost, warning that expanding Nato's geography would be a "big mistake".

"Nato [stands for] North Atlantic, and both article V and article VI (in its statutes) clearly limit the scope to North Atlantic," a French official said on condition of anonymity, adding the move would take the alliance away from its prime region of focus.

"There is no Nato liaison office in any country in the region. If Nato needs situational awareness in the region it can use the embassies designated as point of contact."

Stoltenberg, who leaves office in October, said last week that "what happens in Asia matters for Europe and what happens in Europe matters for Asia, and therefore it is even more important that Nato allies are strengthening our partnership with our Indo-Pacific partners."

Nato is likely to use the liaison office as a hub for cooperation with the four countries, while Prime Minister Fumio Kishida last month said Japan had no plans to become a member of the military bloc.

Stoltenberg said all the leaders of AP4 are expected to attend Nato's July summit in Lithuania.

Professor Park Won-gon said it would be "very difficult" for Nato to apply its collective military alliance as it is to the Indo-Pacific region due to a difference of opinion within the coalition.

"South Korea wants to enhance cooperation with like-minded countries and groups including Nato at a time when the United Nations cannot further sanction North Korea [over its missile and nuclear threats] due to boycotts by China and Russia," Park said.

"However, the possibility of South Korea taking part in international attempts to restrain China militarily is next to nil," he added.

Additional reporting by Agence France-Presse and Reuters

This article originally appeared on the South China Morning Post (SCMP).

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