Australia and Japan are set to sign a treaty to beef up defense and security cooperation at a virtual summit on Thursday, in the latest move to strengthen ties amid China's rising military power and economic clout in the Indo-Pacific region.
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Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the two leaders will sign a Reciprocal Access Agreement, which will for the first time set out a framework for the two countries' defense forces to cooperate with each other.
"This treaty will be a statement of our two nations' commitment to work together in meeting the shared strategic security challenges we face and to contribute to a secure and stable Indo-Pacific," Morrison said in a statement on Wednesday.
The strengthened security ties expand on efforts by the United States, Japan, India and Australia - dubbed the Quad - to work on shared concerns about China, including its pressure on Taiwan, trade disputes, and freedom of navigation in the region.
