Nato’s Lithuania Summit may be a watershed moment for Indo-Pacific region
Nato summit to be held in Lithuania’s capital Vilnius as South Korea, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand are planning to meet on the sidelines of the summit to discuss how to respond to Beijing’s aggressive attempts to change the status quo in the South and East China Seas. All eyes are set on the July 11-12 summit as for the first time all leaders of Nato's four Asia-Pacific partners—Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand—will be attending. The four, collectively known as AP4, are currently tagged as ‘partners across the globe’ by Nato. The North Atlantic alliance will “formulate an individually tailored partnership programme (ITPP) with all four countries in order to upgrade its partnership with them to a higher level,” according to Tokyo-based Nikkei Asia. To support its move for South and East China Seas, Beijing is reportedly engaged in power projection, military build-up and hybrid and cyber operations. To counter China’s aggression in the region, Nato wants to strengthen its engagement with its Asia-Pacific partners step by step. After the ITPPs are finalised, Nato will open a liaison office in Japan in 2024. Nato will use the liaison office as a hub for cooperation with South Korea, Japan, Australia and New Zealand. China, which is closely watching Nato’s activity in the Indo-Pacific region, recently warned that South Korea will not gain anything by participating in a summit that shows hostility towards Beijing.
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Despite the warning, South Korea along with Japan, Australia and New Zealand are not only attending the summit at the leadership level, but these countries are also planning a meeting on the sidelines of
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