Australia and Japan agreed to share more sensitive intelligence and deepen military cooperation Saturday, signing a security pact aimed at countering China’s military rise.
Prime ministers Fumio Kishida and Anthony Albanese inked the accord in the Western Australian city of Perth, revamping a 15-year-old agreement drafted when terrorism and weapons proliferation were the overriding concerns.
“This landmark declaration sends a strong signal to the region of our strategic alignment”, said Albanese, hailing the “Joint Declaration on Security Cooperation”, the AFP said Saturday.
Under the accord, the two countries agreed military forces would train together in Northern Australia, and would “expand and strengthen cooperation across defence, intelligence sharing”, Australian officials said.
SOURCE: JORDAN NEWS AGENCY