Participants and presenters at the 2018 workshop for network of experts on maritime and Territory in the Asia-Pacific region.
Mr. Julio S. Amador III, Regional Security Architecture Program Convener and Fellow, attended and presented at the 2018 workshop for Network of Experts on Maritime and Territory in the Asia-Pacific Region in behalf of APPFI. With the theme “Maritime Cooperation in Implementing New Southern Policy”, the workshop was attended by experts and specialists coming Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Vietnam, Singapore, Japan, South Korea, and India.
The New Southern Policy is South Korea’s plan to raise relations with Southeast Asia to an equivalent level of South Korea’s relations with the United States, China, Japan and Russia. South Korea President, Moon Jae-In, presented this policy in his speech in Singapore, emphasizing that this policy will seek to build a partnership with ASEAN member-states focusing on people, prosperity, and peace.
APPFI Program Convener and Fellow, Mr. Julio S. Amador III, giving his presentation.
Mr. Amador focused on the possibilities of defense cooperation between South Korea and the Philippines noting that Seoul has the technology and the capability to be a source of defense equipment as the Philippines continues with its armed forces modernization. He urged the South Korean experts to form partnerships and links with Philippine think-tanks so that discussions on Philippine-Korean relations will go beyond cultural exchanges and focus on strategic concerns as well.